Police arrest 19-year-old woman in attack that left 7-Eleven clerk in a coma

Torrance police have arrested a 19-year-old woman on suspicion of brutally beating a 7-Eleven store clerk who remains hospitalized in a coma, authorities said.

Jordyn Kolone of Harbor City was booked Thursday evening after investigators released surveillance images of the assailants in the Jan. 11 robbery, according to a statement from the Torrance Police Department. Kolone was being held in Los Angeles County jail in lieu of $1-million bond, and is scheduled to appear in court Tuesday, according to inmate records.

Police allege that Kolone and an unidentified male accomplice walked into the 7-Eleven on Sepulveda Boulevard and Western Avenue about 1 a.m. and grabbed beer from the refrigerator. The pair left the convenience store without paying, and the clerk chased them outside the store.

There, police said, the attackers beat the man, leaving blows to his head, and he was left on the ground. An online fundraiser identified the victim as Syed Ali, and his relatives said in a statement that he was rescued by a person driving by who stopped and provided aid.

“He was able to cough up some blood before finally taking a breath,” Ali’s relatives said in the statement.

Police released surveillance photos of the man involved in the beer theft. Investigators said that a third suspect was also involved, but no image of him was released.

Ali’s family said that he is a father of four young children who moved two years ago from Pakistan. He has undergone surgery on his skull and was recovering in an intensive care unit.

“He has severe brain damage due to internal bleeding in the brain and is currently in a coma. He may never wake up or have use of his body again. He may never wake up to see his family again either,” his family wrote.

Police said the search for the two outstanding suspects was ongoing. Anyone with information was asked to contact the Torrance Police Department at (310) 328-3456.