Graphic Video Shows Clerk Shoot Man In Car As He Tries To Drive Away With Stolen Beer

A gas station clerk in Lakeland, Florida is facing attempted murder charges after he chased and shot a man who took $36 worth of beer from the store, deputies said.

The incident happened on Tuesday at around 11:40 p.m., according to the Tampa Bay Times, and was captured on video.

Mehedeun Hasan, 22, and his father Q M Monsur Rahman, 61, are co-owners of a Shell gas station. They were behind the counter when Rennie Defoe Jr. walked in. In the video released by the Polk County Sheriff's Office, Defoe casually strolled by the clerks with three cases of Natural Ice cradled in his hands.

The clerks jumped to attention. Hasan ran to an area off screen, presumably to retrieve a gun, while his father ran outside. Hasan quickly followed and can be seen accidentally dropping a 9-mm gun on the floor of the store. He picked it up and ran after the alleged thief.

The camera switched to an outside view, and Defoe Jr. opened his door and tossed the three cases into the passenger seat of his 2005 white Toyota Camry - quickly, but not frantically. Once he closed the door, Hasan can be seen on screen, arm outstretched, with the gun pointed at the closed window. Defoe Jr. backed up and Hasan fired a shot that hit Defoe Jr. in the shoulder area, according to WTVT in Tampa. He drove away from the scene and crashed less than a mile away.

Defoe Jr. was transported to a nearby hospital and treated for wounds to his left arm and chest. He was listed in critical condition, deputies said.

Hasan was charged with shooting into an occupied vehicle and attempted second-degree murder.

Defoe has a lengthy prior criminal history including robbery, domestic battery and drug possession, deputies said.

[Photo: Polk County Sheriff's Office]