A San Francisco store clerk has died from his injuries five days after he was brutally beaten with a baseball bat while trying to stop a thief from stealing just two bottles of beer.
Yowhannes “John” Tewelde, 60, never regained consciousness after suffering a massive brain injury during the attack late Thursday at Richmond Market and died at a local hospital shortly before 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, his family announced.
“John was a beloved member of the community, and loved even more by his family and friends,” a neighbor posted on a GoFundMe raising money for his medical bills.
Tewelde was working at the Balboa Street store around 9:30 p.m. Thursday when a thief tried to steal two bottles of beer.
He had fled with some water, police said, and returned just 10 minutes later to find Tewelde holding a baseball bat in an attempt to get him away.
Yowhannes “John” Tewelde, 60, died in a San Francisco hospital Tuesday following the brutal attack.Fox 2
But surveillance footage from the store showed the thief knocking Tewelde down, causing him to hit his head on the floor.
He then grabbed the bat from Tewelde and hit him over the head with it before running away.
Tewelde was confronted by a thief who tried to steal two bottles of beer from the store where he worked Thursday night. The unknown suspect (above) is still at large.Musang 2
The unidentified suspect is still on the loose.
Tewelde’s daughter, Meron, described him afterwards as “a loyal and trustworthy person [who] treat the store like his own.
“It doesn’t make sense why he tried to stop the guy,” he told KPIX. “If it were me, I would let him steal whatever he wanted to steal. But my father had that kind of respect.”
Tewelde recently became a United States citizen and underwent heart surgery in March.
“Right after his heart surgery, he didn’t wait to get back to work because he wanted to be there,” Meron told KTVU. “There’s something about the community that he likes. He loved everyone there.”
Tewelde was beaten with a baseball bat by a thief and never regained consciousness.Fox 2
Friends and family members remembered him Tuesday as a pillar of the community.
“John was always a warm and positive presence in the neighborhood,” wrote Molly Stark on GoFundMe. “Never without a smile on his face when you enter the store. His smile after a long and challenging day at work always makes me smile.
“Condolences to his family for this senseless act,” he added. “John will never be forgotten.”
Another community member, Shaina Prasad, shared how she would see Tewelde almost every day.
“He loves me and my dog so much,” she wrote. “Every time we go in, I feel like I’m talking to a family member and feel very loved. Whenever I walk home alone at night, I feel safe knowing John is inside the store.
“I am deeply saddened by his passing and my heart goes out to his cat, Nancy, and his family.”
Authorities said the suspect stole water from the store before he returned home around 9:30 p.m. Thursday. Fox 2
A third person commented: “I’m sorry for your loss. It’s hard to believe this [is] happening in our neighborhood. Illogical.”
And Heidi Marie Bretz writes that “hard work and loyalty should not be rewarded with cruelty.
“This is heartbreaking,” he said.
A vigil is planned for Thursday night outside the market.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
