HOUSTON – A father was brutally beaten and robbed inside a grocery store, causing him to lose his left eye.
Michael Weathersby lost his eye and his sense of security in the attack, and now he wants the men responsible behind bars.
On Dec. 9, the father of three went to a nearby ATM and then walked across the parking lot to a grocery store located on Fondren near West Bellfort in southwest Houston.
Surveillance video from Houston police shows a white car in the parking lot, then a few moments later, a man wearing a red hoodie with blue jeans and a second man in a white muscle shirt and shorts following Weathersby inside the store.
“I was in there a few minutes, two or three minutes, and next thing I know, I was on the ground,” he said.
Weathersby said he was standing in the produce aisle when he was sucker-punched and fell unconscious. He said when he awoke, he found his wallet missing.
“When I was on the ground, I could feel the tugging in my pocket. They took the money out of my pocket,” he said.
Weathersby was rushed to the hospital. He said the thief hit him so hard that his left eye ruptured, causing doctors to have to perform emergency surgery.
“He was real blunt. He said, ‘Mr. Weathersby, you’re going to lose one eye so we could save the other eye,’” he said.
One month has passed since the attack, and police say they still have no leads.
“Physically, emotionally, everything changed. I don’t have any words for it,” Weathersby said.
Weathersby is still working to recover from the brutal attack.
“Was it worth it? I lose an eye, broke my nose, shattered my bones. I don’t think anyone deserves that, nobody,” he said.
Michael’s attorney Jeff Musslewhite said he’s preparing to file a lawsuit against the grocery store and any other potentially liable entities.
“We have a lot of questions regarding the security, or lack thereof, that was provided at the grocery store, and the training the security guard may or may not have had,” Musslewhite said.
For now, Weathersby’s sister, Keisha, and his family are by his side helping him with therapy and just trying to understand why someone would attack him inside a grocery store in broad daylight.
“They were bold. I want them to be bold enough to face the consequences,” Weathersby said.
KPRC 2 reached out to the grocery store but they did not want to make a comment.
Michael’s family and Houston Police are asking anyone with information to contact Houston Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS.