Female Family Dollar clerk fights man who pushes through plexiglass barrier, stabs at her, tries to grab cash from register

A female clerk at a North Carolina Family Dollar fought off a customer who pushed through a plexiglass barrier, stabbed at her, and tried to grab money from the cash register — and the scary encounter was caught on surveillance video.

What are the details?

A customer at the Sharpsburg store paid for a cigarette lighter with cash about 12:09 p.m. Thursday, the Rocky Mount Telegram reported. Sharpsburg is about an hour east of Raleigh.

Image source: WRAL-TV video screenshot

When the clerk opened the cash register, surveillance video shows the man push through a plexiglass barrier and and stab at the clerk, WRAL-TV reported. The Telegram said he was holding a knife.

Image source: WRAL-TV video screenshot

The clerk quickly responds by beating back the man with her hands, the station said, adding that police said the man was trying to steal cash from the register.

Video shows the man running out of the store after the struggle; the clerk appears to throw something at the man as takes off.

The clerk called 911 and said the suspect was headed north on U.S. 301 toward Rocky Mount, the Telegram said. Rocky Mount is about 10 minutes north of Sharpsburg.

The clerk suffered a cut on her hand during the struggle, the Telegram said. Video shows the clerk holding her left hand and signaling for help, WRAL said.

Image source: WRAL-TV video screenshot

What happened to the suspect?

Sharpsburg police quickly caught the suspect, the Telegram said. WRAL said he was arrested Thursday.

Mohammud Alsaleh, 34, was charged with attempted armed robbery and assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious bodily injury, the Telegram said, adding that he was jailed under a $250,000 bond in the Nash County Detention Center.

Mohammud AlsalehImage source: Nash County (N.C.) Sheriff's Office

TheBlaze on Tuesday confirmed that Alsaleh was still in the jail.

Here's surveillance video of the attempted armed robbery and struggle with the clerk: