Police say a man was detained in Miami for attempted murder and other felonies after security footage captured him repeatedly slashing a gas station worker who questioned him about theft.
Billy Joe Martin, 39, was arrested and placed into the Miami-Dade County jail on Monday on counts of attempted felony murder, armed robbery, burglary with assault or battery, and violence on a law enforcement officer.
An employee staffing the counter at the Mobil petrol station in the 570 block of NW 79th Street in Miami allegedly witnessed Martin removing a beer can from a refrigerator and placing it in his pocket around 1 p.m. on Monday.
The store clerk approached Martin and asked him, “What did you put in your pocket?” according to an arrest report reported by NBC Miami.
Monday, the suspect Billy Martin is seen on surveillance footage stabbing a gas station clerk.
WSVN Martin, age 39, was detained on multiple offenses, including attempted murder, robbery, and burglary.
Jail of Miami-Dade County
The question allegedly drove the suspected shoplifter to fly into a rage, hitting and then repeatedly slashing the clerk with a knife in the back and face.
The store’s surveillance footage showed the gruesome assault and the victim’s attempts to repel the attacker, who also stole a pack of Newport cigarettes during the bloody brawl.
WSVN stated that despite sustaining severe injuries, the clerk was able to lock the store to prevent Martin from fleeing and then lock himself in the cashier’s area.
According to the arrest record, when police arrived on the incident, they arrested Martin and placed him in the back of a patrol car, where he began banging his head on the Plexiglas barrier.
Later, the suspect allegedly spit at a police officer and shouted racist and ethnic slurs at him.
The clerk was transported to Jackson Memorial Hospital with multiple stab wounds for treatment. He was listed as stable and was anticipated to recover.
On Tuesday, Martin made his initial court appearance and was ordered to maintain a 500-foot distance from the victim. As of Wednesday, he was still incarcerated without bond.
»Miami gas station employee stabbed by a man on camera over a stolen beer can«