Smoke shop employee assaulted during robbery near Brady Street
MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Milwaukee police are investigating a robbery that happened at Purple Haze Smoke Shop, located near Brady Street. It happened just before 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 26.
Police say two suspects entered the smoke shop located on Farwell Street, and one was armed with a knife.
One of the suspects from the robbery
According to police, the pair robbed the store and attacked an employee, identified by the store owner as 29-year-old Hamza. The incident was captured in surveillance video. In it, you see two people walk into the store. One person asks Hamza for a product on the shelf, offering money. But then, the suspect grabs the tip jar, jumps over the counter, and throws the tip jar at Hamza, hitting his head. The other robber who was standing by the door then joins in, also jumping over the counter. That robber then kicked Hamza repeatedly.
"They unnecessarily beat the employee," said Cheri, the store manager. The suspects tried taking the cash register, but the cord got caught on the counter, knocking it over and smashing it. The two then ran out.
The owner of the store tells CBS 58 that Hamza was taken to the hospital for two fractured ribs and to get stitches behind his ear, but he's been released and is in recovery.
"I’ve noticed in the last five years, the crime around here has gotten kind of bad. We need a little more police walking, or whatever they do, like they sometimes do on Wisconsin and Mitchell Street. We need more police," shared Cheri. She trusts that MPD can catch the suspects and wishes everybody could be safe, particularly around the holidays.
If you have any information, you're urged to contact Milwaukee police at 414-935-7360 or Crime Stoppers at 414-224-Tips or P3 Tips.
A Go-Fund-Me has been created to help Hamza in his recovery. You can find that here.