The incident took place at the Sunoco A-Plus minimart at 312 North Macadade Boulevard at 3:00 a.m. Tuesday.
At that time, the 55-year-old clerk, who is usually protected from would be thieves by a bullet proof cage, was in the back getting ready to take out the trash. As he unlocked the door, he was ambushed by two males.
"He's immediately shoved inside by two actors around 20 years old," Darby Police Chief Robert Smythe said.
The men beat the startled clerk and kicked him while he was on the ground.
"At one point, they actually choked him to the point of unconsciousness," Smythe said.
When the clerk regained consciousness, police say they shoved him to the cash register and demanded that he open it.
At one point, the clerk pushed a button designed to unlock the door, but the thieves thought he had just triggered a silent alarm and they begin to beat him again.
"I mean, these two guys were extremely violent for basically, an unarmed robbery, play on words, but they didn't have a gun, they didn't have a knife, it was just all their hands," Smythe said.
The clerk suffered a broken leg and a number of cuts and bruises and was rushed to the University of Pennsylvania Medical Center.
"He's very fortunate to be alive at this point," Smythe said.
The two men got away with a large sum of money, cigarettes, gift cards and phone cards and then they also took the clerks cell phone, wallet & cash.
Both the males are believed to be about 20 years old. They were last seen running in the alleyway in the 1100 block of Wycombe Avenue.
"It's extremely important that we get these guys off the street," Smythe said.
The victim is now at home recovering from his injuries. Police are confident someone is going to recognize the men in the video. If you do, you are being asked to call Darby Police at 610-586-1100.
