Surveillance footage at a Bay Area store caught the horrifying moment that a homeless serial shoplifter set a clerk on fire with stolen lighter fluid when he tried to stop him from stealing.

The clerk would only identify himself as Suraj because he’s afraid of being attacked again for coming forward, according to the Daily Mail. In the footage, he can be seen struggling with Kendall Burton, 38, over stolen items just before he was set on fire. Suraj can be seen with his head on fire running through the store as another clerk comes into play with a baseball bat.

“He just splashed lighter fluid on my face, and I was so scared that moment. I tried to cover his hand, but I don’t know. I don’t remember. He just lit the fire on me you know,” Suraj told CBS News. “I just rushed to the restroom, and I just splashed water on my face.”

The clerk stated that “nobody has to go through this kind of situation” and urged smaller stores to get “more security” to protect their employees.

Shoplifter sets East Bay store clerk on fire during confrontation

The attack left Suraj with second and third-degree burns.

“It’s terrible. You know, I’m still in a trauma right now, me, my family,” he said from his hospital bed. @KPIXtv https://t.co/DPcdNNCP5x pic.twitter.com/lZN6G6r1RK

— Betty Yu (@bett_yu) October 1, 2023

Suraj commented that he will need several surgeries and that his family cries “all the time” when they come to visit him.

The clerk was left with second and third-degree burns to his face, neck, chest, and shoulder, but he survived.

That incident took place on Sept. 22 at Appian Food and Liquor in El Sobrante, which is north of Oakland, California. Suraj has worked there for five years and reportedly has had multiple encounters with shoplifters, but nothing ever like this. The homeless shoplifter had reportedly been in the store several times before attacking the clerk.

Burton is now facing charges that include assault with a deadly weapon, battery, arson, and robbery, according to the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office who spoke with CBS News about the attack. The suspect is being held without bail.

Disturbing incident in California as a serial shoplifter sets a store clerk’s head on fire with stolen lighter fluid. The clerk, Suraj, showed incredible bravery in dealing with this dangerous situation. #California #Crime #ShopliftingIncident pic.twitter.com/Jv9Xg2Enr6

— US-Crimes (@OfficialUScrime) October 2, 2023

Suraj’s wife, Sabeena, remarked that her husband faces a long, difficult road to recovery. She is raising funds for his physical and mental care after the attack.

She posted to Suraj’s GoFundMe account concerning the “horrific workplace incident” that resulted in her husband being placed in the care of San Francisco’s Saint Francis Memorial Hospital.

“[Suraj] was attacked with kerosene fluid and his body was set on fire by a shoplifter while he was working at his store in El Sobrante, CA on 22nd September 2023,” she wrote on the fundraising site.

“Right now he is out of danger and getting his treatment [at] Saint Fransis (sic) Memorial Hospital, SF. As wounds by the (sic) burn takes time to heal and recover and we are overwhelmed by the mental trauma and the pressure of medical procedures. We are reaching out to you to request for (sic) any support or contributions to this fundraiser. Your support would be invaluable and greatly appreciated,” the distraught wife pleaded.

Progressive soft on crime policies lead to more heinous crimes.

— Rogueone1987 (@rogueone1987) October 2, 2023

Suraj did an interview from his hospital bed and stated that the “trauma” that he and his family are going through is overwhelming. He described the pain he is enduring as a “10” whenever his wounds are cleaned.

It is unknown when or even if he will be able to return to work after this ordeal.

The Appian Food and Liquor store where the incident took place is about 20 miles southwest of downtown San Francisco.

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