He Went Bananas At 7-Eleven When Employee Refused After-Hour Beer Sale

SANTA ANA, CA — A North Orange County 7-Eleven was the spot where an enraged customer shattered windows and toppled counter displays in late August. Santa Ana police are seeking a suspect in the case where a store clerk refused to sell a customer beer in the middle of the night, according to reports. The store stops all sales of liquor after 2 a.m.

Police released video of the vandalism that occurred around 2:30 a.m. Aug. 25 at a 7-Eleven store at 1020 S. Bristol St.

According to Santa Ana police Cpl. Anthony Bertagna, the man first demanded to use a clerk's phone, but she declined. Then he started "walking around the store," and moments later tried to open the door of a refrigerator with beer inside, Bertagna said. The door was locked, as it was after 2 a.m.

"So he goes to the front of the store and demands they sell him beer, and he's got money," Bertagna said.
The video shows the man flashing cash in front of the clerks.

"They say, `No beer for you, it's against the law,"' Bertagna said.

That prompted the vandal to knock over a display of bananas on the front counter and then, after a stick-wielding clerk chased him out the door, he smashed several of the store's front windows, Bertagna said.
The damage was estimated to be about $2,000, Bertagna said.

Anyone with information on the suspect's identity was asked to call investigators at (714) 245-8647 or email at ldelisle@santa-ana.org. Anonymous tips can be made to Orange County Crime Stoppers at (855) TIP-OCCS.

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