Man With Stick Assaults Manassas Store Owner

A man who attempted to rob a Manassas convenience store with a giant stick early Tuesday morning did not get away with much, according to the owner's son.

 Munish Uppal, son of the owner and store clerk, updated Patch on the recent attempted robbery of his family's establishment.

"No money was taken, just a few dollars of candy damaged," he said.

Caught on video, the wild—and very strange— attack unfolded at the Super Market convenience store located at 8680 Liberia Avenue in Manassas early Tuesday morning.

The assailant, described as a male, 5'4"-5'7" in height, sporting blue jeans and blue hooded sweatshirt entered the store around 6:40am brandishing a gigantic stick, 7-8 feet in length, according to Manassas City Police.

The man aggressively began swinging his weapon towards the shop owner, 58-year-old Jugal Uppal.

In an attempt to sway the attacker, Jugal quickly reached under the counter, grabbed a hammer, backed himself into a corner and stood his ground.

Throughout the altercation, the attacker seemed to resemble the stick-wielding Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle, Donatello with his attacking techniques; bending his knees and pausing for several seconds while pointing his stick towards the owner.

The attack continued for several minutes. The attacker then jumped over the counter in a attempt to rob the store, knocking over candy and other counter displays

A minor scuffle ensued and Jugal was thrown to the floor. The assailant then attempted to steal cash that just wasn't there.

Munish described what he failed to do the night before that resulted in the suspect getting away empty handed.

"Every night before we close up I am supposed to leave a set amount of cash under the counter. I have been doing that for the last 2 years the business has been open, but for some reason I just forgot to do it monday night."

 Despite intial reports of facial injuries sustained during the attack, the owner sustained only minor injuries to his shoulder.

"My dad was in tears and was very shaken up when I first saw him," Munish said. "He said he was threatened, told to get on the floor and give up the money. His shoulder is hurting him right now."

The suspect fled out the back door of the building, leading Munish to believe  the suspect had been scoping out the building.

"We have been here two years, never been robbed until now," Munish said. "I definitely feel that we were targeted and staked out. The guy knew what time my dad gets to the store and where to escape out the back door, we don't even open until 7 a.m."

No one was seriously injured, but the suspect certainly made sure his identity was kept secret by covering his face with a white cloth/bandana. He also wore white gloves, and in an attempt to cover his tracks, he wrapped plastic bags around his ankles to conceal shoe prints during the attempted robbery.

Munish said the community has been extremely loyal following the incident.

"It's been business as usual. Today [Wednesday] was a normal day, as far as business goes. We have many regular customers that have been checking in on the store [and] we thank them."

Munish also affirmed his stance on catching the suspect.

"I hope they catch this guy, and other businesses out there please be prepared, this can happen at any time."

Munish told Patch he has a permit to carry a handgun and will now use it.

"Since I have a permit and own a handgun they will both be with me while I'm at the store."

Watch attached video to see if you can identify the attacker, also note that the first 1-2 feet of the stick has been charred by fire.

If you have information pertaining to this attack please contact Manassas City Crime Solvers at 703-330-0330. Manassas City Crime Solvers will pay a cash reward of up to $1,000 for information that leads to an arrest.