A female cashier at a Washington state gas station didn’t have time to react when a series of punches and kicks to the face and head followed during a violent robbery.
Leah Johnston was attacked by six suspects, some believed to be teenagers, on September 15 while she was working at the Friendly Normandy Market in Normandy Park.
The gang piled cigarettes and candy into their arms and got rid of the cash register before escaping.
“Kids don’t seem to be afraid of anything anymore,” Johnston said FOX 13. “There are no consequences for them like there used to be.”
The thieves laughed as they ransacked the shelves and one of them landed punch after punch on Johnston even after she cowered to the ground.
‘I know people who have been robbed, I know in the back of my mind that it can happen at any time. But I never thought I would be attacked the way I was attacked,” Johnston said.
“I mean, my face hurts. But I think my pride hurts more.”
Leah Johnston was working at the Friendly Normandy Market when she was ambushed by a group of six thieves wearing masks and hoods
Security camera footage shows the moment Johnston was attacked by one of the suspects, who began punching her in the face
Some suspects are said to be teenagers. They fled in two stolen cars
The attack, which was captured on a store security camera, lasted about 20 seconds but was brutal to watch.
Footage shows a hooded suspect running up to the cashier and beginning to punch her in the face, while three others run to the shelves to grab merchandise and spread it across the floor.
A fifth suspect is browsing products on the other side of the counter.
A man dressed in a sweatshirt with a sticker reading “PRIMITIVE” on the back meanders up to the cash register and starts playing with it until it opens.
Johnston cringes, turns and covers her face to defend herself from the blows.
Her attacker then begins to forcefully push her in the chest and hit her on the head until she falls to the ground.
The suspect continues to kick her until he notices that the suspect has taken all the bills at the cash register and then follows the others out of the store.
At one point, Johnston begged her attacker to stop because she wasn’t fighting back.
The cashier used her arms to cover her face and tried to defend herself
She was eventually knocked to the ground and kicked repeatedly as the suspects cleared the shelves of merchandise
Johnston KIRO7 that she “wouldn’t let them win” and would return to work after a break
The suspects took tobacco products, candy and less than $100 in cash.
“It’s just amazing that they would do it for as little as possible,” Johnston said KIRO7.
The cashier had planned to take some time off work after the brutal attack, but promised to return.
‘I’m not running away from my job. I love this community. I love the people and I love my job,” Johnston said.
She added that the store planned to increase security measures to prevent future attacks.
Normandy Park Police Chief Dan Yourkoski said a special unit from the King County Sheriff’s Department assisted in the investigation.
He told Dailymail.com that the incident occurred around 9 p.m., when six suspects, described as juvenile or young adult black males, attacked the clerk with closed fists before stealing money from the till and products from the store.
“The investigation continues to identify and hold those responsible accountable,” Yourkoski said. “Fortunately the clerk was not seriously injured.”
Police did not believe a weapon was used in the attack. No one was visible on the security footage.
The robbers took candy, tobacco products and less than 100 euros from the cash register
Johnston said the store would increase security measures in light of the attack
The suspects were driving a stolen Kia and Hyundai, both of which were later recovered.
The brands of the cars are important because they were victims of a wave of thefts after a TikTok trend instructed young people how to jump-start them with just a screwdriver and a USB cable.
The trend started in 2021 with a “how to” video from a pair of masked individuals called “Kia Boyz.”
They showed how to hotwire a Kia by opening the steering column with a screwdriver and inserting the USB into the ignition cylinder.
Kia and Hyundai models produced between 2011 and 2021 lack an immobilizer, making them vulnerable to attacks.
A class action lawsuit filed in Iowa last August said the cars were “easy to steal, unsafe and worth less than they should be if they did not have the defect.”
Los Angeles officials said the viral trend led to an 85% increase in car thefts of Hyundais and Kias in 2022.
In Prince George’s County, Maryland, police said Stolen Kia and Hyundai cars accounted for almost a sixth of all thefts in 2022 and almost half of all thefts in January 2023.