According to detectives, the suspect walked into the packed El Bodeguero Market around 5:30 p.m. He went right past an 8-year-old boy and then took out a gun. The man working at the register immediately put up his arms to comply.
A woman, who only wanted to be identified as Tess, stood just steps away while her two kids looked on as well.
"Once he got inside behind the counter, he glocked the gun and said, 'I want the money,'" said Tess.
The man behind the counter appeared to comply, kept his hands up and offered instructions on where to collect the money. Then all of a sudden, without warning, the gun went off.
The victim was shot in the leg and fell to the ground. Tess said the suspect seemed startled.
"He panicked and he dropped everything. He dropped the money he had in his hands," she said. "According to my 8-year-old, he kept saying, 'I'm sorry, I'm sorry.'"
The man left with what's believed to be $500. The victim was hospitalized and later released.
There are 16 different surveillance cameras inside this store, which allowed police to get a good look at that robber.
Police described the suspect as a 25- to 30-year-old black man, standing about 6 feet to 6 feet 2 inches tall and weighing between 200 to 210 pounds.
Anyone with information about the suspect was asked to contact Hawthorne police.
