The gas station clerk in Auburn who was robbed while suffering a heart attack is speaking out for the first time about the callous incident.
Zarif Kelada is back home after spending weeks in the hospital. Auburn police are still looking for the two suspects who robbed the Shell station on Auburn Way South while Kelada was behind the counter.
"I just remember I go to work and after work, I don't remember nothing," Kelada said.
He said he doesn't forgive the teenagers who left him for dead as he was convulsing on the ground. Kelada had just confronted the suspects for stealing when he collapsed.
"He was freaked out. Why the heck did they leave me? At least call an ambulance and run away," says Kelada's son, who was translating for his father.
"He doesn't care if they steal. He didn't want to risk his life for the gas station," he said.
Kelada lost his memory and recently viewed the surveillance video showing what happened on Sept. 8. Auburn police say two teenagers came back several times to rob the convenience store after the clerk collapsed. One teen is caught on camera taking a dollar out of the clerk's convulsing hand.
"They just cared about stealing. If they said they needed help, dad was going to help them," Kelada's son said.
Kelada said he is grateful for the customers who jumped in to help after he was abandoned by the suspects.
Auburn police say an older gentleman in the video was not associated with the suspects. Detectives may have identified the teens but say they are likely on the run, since the surveillance video sparked outrage across the country.
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