Clerk learns of tumor thanks to punch from suspect angry over beer law

TAMPA (FOX 13) - The gas station clerk, seen in surveillance video released by Tampa police on Friday, wants you to watch it closely. Not only because he wants the man who punched him to be caught, but also because that punch turned out to be a stroke of luck for him.

David Miller says he refused to sell alcohol to a customer on Sunday night because it was after the legal cutoff time. The incident occurred around 3:30 a.m. on Sunday at the Marathon gas station located at the corner of Channelside Drive and Kennedy Boulevard -- and the whole thing was captured by surveillance cameras.

In the video, you can see the unknown man bring alcohol from the cooler. That's when David Miller went over to explain you can't buy it after 3 a.m.

Miller takes the beer back to the cooler, and he says the guy started cursing him out. Then, they start arguing as Miller tries to kick him out of the store.

That's when the guy punched Miller, who says his attacker was half his age.

"If he is smart, he will turn himself in. All I want is to see him turn a new leaf and have a better life," Miller said. 

He added that this could be a life-changing moment for both men.

"My God turns evil to good. Because of this, I got a CT scan in my head to make sure he didn't do any real damage. Because of that, they found a small, benign brain tumor that will get treated at an early stage. This could also turn out to be a good thing for him. He could get rehab because of this. He could change his life today because of this mistake," Miller said.

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The suspect is around the age of 25, police said, and is close to 5 feet, 10 inches tall. Anyone with information on the his identity is asked to call the Tampa Police Department at (813) 231-6130.