Suspect arrested after Miami gas station clerk is stabbed multiple times
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A man used a knife Monday to stab a gas station attendant several times in Miami over an unpaid beer, according to police.
Billy Joe Martin, 39, faces charges of armed robbery, attempted felony murder and burglary with assault or battery. The Arizona man remained behind bars at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center as of Tuesday night, Miami-Dade County jail records show.
According to his arrest report, Martin was in a gas station at 570 NW 79th St. on Monday afternoon when he grabbed a beer from the fridge and put it inside his pocket. When the clerk asked Martin what it was he pocketed, Miami police detectives say, Martin became aggressive and went behind the cash register, where the clerk was.
Then, investigators say, Martin punched the clerk before stabbing him multiple times.
But before Martin could escape with a pack of Newport cigarettes from the gas station, the clerk called 911 and locked the store’s doors, police say. When officers arrived, they tased Martin and put him in handcuffs.
According to authorities, nobody else was in the store during the attack.
Officers say they found the knife that Martin used to stab the clerk in the suspect’s front-right pocket.
The 45-second attack, first reported by WSVN 7 News, and Martin’s arrest were caught on a security camera.
The victim was taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital, where he was undergoing treatment Tuesday night, police said.
This story was originally published January 17, 2023 at 7:37 PM.
