An elderly Home Depot employee in North Carolina has died after a tragic and enraging attack by a suspected serial thief as he tried to prevent yet another criminal act in his store.
Grandfather and beloved employee Gary Rasor, 82, was on duty in the garden section of the Hillsborough Home Depot on Oct. 18 when he recognized a man he believed had targeted his store before.
Rasor’s wife, Yovone, said her husband told her that the suspect would purchase “one or two items so he has a receipt” but then place other merchandise in his cart.
On the fateful day, the suspect allegedly attempted to leave the store with $800 worth of pressure washers in his cart. When Rasor tried to block his path, he was attacked, shoved to the ground, and struck his head on a potted plant.
Video evidence showed the suspect proceeded out of the store without checking on his victim.
#WANTED: #OPNation do you recognize this man? He's wanted for aggravated assault in Hillsborough, NC. If you have any information, please call the Hillsborough N.C. Police Department at 1-919-296-9562. #OPLive #OnPatrolLive #Urgent @sean_c_larkin #NORTHCAROLINA pic.twitter.com/n3h8OUz2Do
— On Patrol: Live (@OfficialOPLive) November 19, 2022
Rasor suffered multiple fractures in the attack and later had a mild heart attack. He was hospitalized multiple times and never able to walk again, though he did see his 83rd birthday while attempting to recover from the vicious assault.
However, he had to be readmitted the day before Thanksgiving and was then moved to hospice care. Gary Rasor passed away on Dec. 1.
Police confirm that the victim died “due to complications from the injuries received,” and his death was ruled a homicide by officials. Rasor’s son Jeff Rasor told a local media outlet that “it’s just beyond our comprehension that someone would do this for a couple of power washers.”
Rasor and his wife Yovone were married for 30 years and already had plane tickets to visit a new grandchild over the Christmas holidays.
Stepdaughter Leigh Bucholtz told reporters that her first priority was obviously to care for her stepdad as he recovered. But now that he has died, “my next priority and the best way to honor Gary is to catch his attacker.”
Police say they are searching for a 6-foot-tall male suspect who was masked and wearing a black Calvin Klein hoodie. He fled the scene in a white Hyundai Sonata that had an obscured temporary tag. The investigation now includes a “possible” homicide.
