Dominick Smith charged in connection with gas station beating caught on camera

MILWAUKEE (WITI) -- 21-year-old Dominick Smith was charged on Friday, February 27th and made his initial appearance in court. This, in connection with the beating of a couple of gas station clerks near 49th and Lisbon on Milwaukee's north side. The entire incident was captured on video by a smart phone. Smith now faces two counts of felony second-degree recklessly endangering safety.

According to the criminal complaint, one of the gas station clerks observed Smith on the evening of February 21st in his store. The clerk told officers that he saw Smith "reach over one aisle into the candy aisle and take candy bars and place 7 to 8 packages into his inner jacket." The clerk, armed with a taser and a stick, approached Smith as he tried to leave. When Smith saw the taser, the complaint indicates he "took some of the candy packages from his clothes and threw them to the ground." Smith apparently then started yelling at the clerk and calling him various names.

Moments later, the clerk and a co-worker, armed with a bat and stick, followed Smith a short distance out of the store. In the process of trying to get Smith away from the store, the complaint says Smith "grabbed the bat" and struck the clerk's head with the bat , knocking him to the ground. The clerk "was unconscious for a few seconds." He and his co-worker suffered injuries in the exchange -- but they eventually got back inside the store to safety.

The complaint says both of the gas station workers were taken to Froedtert Hospital for treatment of their injuries. The clerk who first confronted Smith suffered a "skull fracture and possible bleeding on the brain." The co-worker also suffered a "head wound requiring 15 stitches" on the back of his head -- and another four stitches to close another head wound.

Smith's public defender told the court on Friday that his client suffers from mental illness. He is diagnosed with schizophrenia with bipolar disorder and ADHD.

The court commissioner set bail at $10,000. If Smith actually bails out, he is to be monitored by GPS, remain sober and stay away from the victims.

If convicted, Smith faces up to ten years in prison and $25,000 in fines.

Related stories: