'You got him good' - Teenagers who killed a shop worker with a single punch over cigarette papers ran off laughing
A teenager allegedly punched a shop worker and killed him with a single knockout blow after arguing with him over cigarette papers. Reports state that the 16-year-old boy, then ran off laughing as the man fell to the ground.
The teenager reportedly became enraged after the shop worker, 49-year-old Vijay Kumar Patel, prevented him and his friends from buying a packet of Rizla as they were under the age of 18.
The boy then threatened to break the windows of the store and then suddenly smashed his forearm into Patel's face, according to the Daily Mail.
Reports state that at the time of the attack, Patel was standing with his hands in his pockets and he fell backward after the impact and hit his head on the pavement, sustaining a head injury.
The entire incident was captured in a CCTV camera and showed the 16-year-old and his two friends running away from the scene, leaving Patel unconscious on the ground in Mill Hill, north London.
Prosecutor Louis Mably said that the boys appeared to be laughing at the assault. "They appeared to be laughing, joking and happy about what had just taken place," Mably said.
The jurors in court were told that one witness heard one of the boys say: "You got him good" after the incident. The boys, who are teenagers, cannot be named.
Reports state that Patel, who was a father-of-two, suffered catastrophic brain injuries from the fall and succumbed the next day in the hospital.
The incident reportedly occurred just outside the front door of the Rota Express shop in Mill Hill Broadway at about 11.45pm on 6 January this year.
"The boy suddenly lunged at Mr Patel, flew towards him and smashed him in the upper part of his body with his right forearm," the prosecutor said.
"Mr Patel was standing on the pavement with his hands in his pockets, and this came as a complete surprise," Mably added.
The court was told that Patel suffered bruising on the left side of his face and jaw which suggested that he was hit with a forearm or shoulder than a fist.
Reports state that the shopkeeper who had refused to serve the boys had witnessed the entire incident. He reportedly told police officials that he asked for the teenagers' ID when they entered the store and tried to buy some Rizla papers.
The prosecutor said: "The boys couldn’t produce any that he would accept, so he refused to serve them because they were under 18."
"The shorter boy (the suspect) became aggressive and called him a motherf***er. On the way out of the shop the shorter one said he was going to smash the shop window," Mably said, according to Daily Mail.
The shopkeeper said that when the boys continued to hand around outside the store, he asked his assistant, Patel, to go out and check what were they up to.
The 16-year-old from the group then allegedly shouted at Patel, saying: "Why did you come out motherf***er? Do you want a fight?"
"He looked like he was getting ready for some kind of physical confrontation," Mably said. The teenager then knocked Patel unconscious and also punched the shopkeeper in the face, according to reports.
Shortly after the incident, paramedics and police arrived at the scene of the incident and found Patel lying on the pavement injured, making a gurgling sound. He was rushed to the hospital where he died on January 7, around 6 pm.
The teenager, who is from Brent, was arrested the next day and has denied manslaughter. Officials reportedly found Patel/s saliva on the right sleeve of a black coat he was wearing during the incident. The trial into the case is ongoing.