A 42-year-old man was hospitalized Thursday night with stab wounds after attacking a Wawa employee who responded in self-defense, Philadelphia police said.
The Wawa employee was unpacking boxes around 10:30 p.m. when the man entered the store, located on the 7200 block of Germantown Avenue in West Mount Airy, investigators said.
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The man allegedly began yelling because he wasn't being waited on quickly enough, then punched and choked the Wawa employee, police said. A manager who witnessed the incident told authorities the man charged behind the counter with a knife.
To protect himself, the Wawa employee pulled out a pocket knife and stabbed the man.
The alleged attacker, who was not identified, was taken to Einstein Medical Center and placed in critical condition.
It is not known whether the Wawa employee suffered any injuries.
Police said a weapon was recovered at the scene and the incident remains under investigation.
This article was updated to correct the store's location, which is in West Mount Airy, not East Mount Airy.