Tulsa Police Search For Suspects In Violent Store Robbery

A violent armed robbery of a Tulsa convenience store on North Cincinnati left the store clerk unconscious after robbers body-slammed him to the ground and choked him. 

Police said there's a couple of unusual things about the robbery: time of day - 9 a.m. - and unnecessary violence.

Surveillance footage shows one of the robbers takes the clerk to the ground then puts him in a choke hold. 

The clerk initially tries to pry the robber's hands off his neck, but eventually, stops struggling as he loses air then passes out. 

Once he's out cold, two of the suspects yank the necklace off the clerk's neck then they go through his pockets and steal his phone. 

He regains consciousness a short time later but one of the suspects goes back and hits him again.

"It doesn't appear the clerk was fighting back or trying to do everything and these guys went for the jugular right off the bat. It's one of those, had they been armed or walked in with a gun, I'm sure that clerk would've been dead," said Sgt. Brandon Watkins, TPD Robbery Unit. 

During the blitz attack on the clerk, another suspect locks the front door, then takes the cash register and smashes it onto the ground in order to get to the money inside it.

Police said they took the money and cigarellos and left. The clerk was eventually able to call 911.

"We don't want anybody to end up dead because these guys want a couple of bucks," Watkins said. 

Police urge anyone who knows these suspects to call CrimeStoppers at 918-596-COPS.