Masked Robber Beats Man With Hammer Inside Philadelphia Gas Station

A masked robber struck a man multiple times with a hammer during a brutal, caught on camera attack inside a gas station in Philadelphia.

The suspect entered the Shell Station on 6200 North Broad Street Monday around 9:50 p.m. just as a 40-year-old store clerk inside was ending his shift. Surveillance video captured the suspect striking the clerk 15 to 20 times.

"The moment I turned back to go inside, he hit with the hammer in the back of the head where I got fractured and after that he didn't stop," the clerk, who did not want to be identified, told NBC10. "He kept hitting me. He didn't ask nothing."

The suspect then dragged the clerk to a freezer area in the back of the store. The clerk told NBC10 the suspect hit him at least five more times with the hammer.

"I tried to put my hands to save my head and I got fracture in my wrist and my two fingers," the clerk said.

The suspect then stole an undisclosed amount of cash as well as several packs of cigarettes. He then fled on foot and was last seen headed west on Stenton Avenue, police said.

The clerk was found a short time later and taken to the hospital where he is in critical but stable condition. He told NBC10 he'll still return to his job once he recovers.

"I got a family to take of and a house too," he said. "So I got to."

The owner of the store said his business has been robbed on an almost daily basis. He believes the robber in Monday's incident stole around $9,000.

The suspect is described as a stocky man of an unknown age wearing a dark-colored hooded sweatshirt, dark-colored pants with a white stripe on both legs, dark-colored sneakers or boots and a white hockey goalie-styled mask. He was also armed with a hammer.

Police said the suspect is considered armed and dangerous. If you see him, do not approach him. Instead call 911 or the Northwest Detective Division at 215-686-3353/3354. You can also submit a tip by calling 215-686-TIPS (8477) or texting PPD TIP (773947).