Tulsa Police Investigate An Assault Of A Store Employee

Another Tulsa robbery and beating. For the second time in a week, Tulsa Police have responded to a store, to find an employee robbed and severely beaten. <br/><br/>This time, it happened at J&J Bargain

Tuesday, May 30th 2006, 11:35 am

By: News On 6

Another Tulsa robbery and beating. For the second time in a week, Tulsa Police have responded to a store, to find an employee robbed and severely beaten.

This time, it happened at J&J Bargain Depot near Admiral and Peoria, where a mother of five was beaten with a hammer.

News on 6 anchor Tami Marler says detectives don't yet know whether it's coincidence or the beginning of a pattern, but they have more suspect information than they did a week ago.

At about 10 AM Tuesday, Tulsa Police say a man walked into J&Jâ€™s, looked around and left, until he saw the only other customer walk out. "Came back inside. Came in with a hammer at this time. The female attendant was cooperating all the time. Didn't put up a struggle, didn't put up a fight. And he proceeded to hit her with the hammer about the head." Tulsa Police Sgt. Dave Walker says then the suspect tied-up the attendant and left her in the back of the store, then took off with cash and lottery tickets.

He says this attack is similar to one just four miles down Admiral a week earlier. "At the Grandpa's Furniture store on Admiral we have an incident that fits this description but we have absolutely no suspect information at all." That's because Grandpas' owner has been in-and-out of consciousness since customers found him severely beaten in his store.

Still in the hospital, he's unable to help investigators, but Walker says the cases are similar enough to consider together. "The business is about the same. It's a lone attendant inside and they beat, what seems to be senselessly beat the attendant. The attendant's given up the money, but for some reason this offender decides to be real violent."

Tulsa Police say the suspect in Monday's beating is a black man in his 40â€™s, about 6-foot-1, 180 pounds. He was wearing a blue basketball jersey and his head was shaved. He likely fled on foot.

If you know anything about either beating, call Crimestoppers at 596-COPS.

J&Jâ€™s owner tells the News on 6, he's been in this location for about eight years and never been robbed. He also says his employee is expected to be fine.