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Police on the hunt for ‘kissing bandit’ who assaulted 7-Eleven clerk

Posted at 3:07 PM, Apr 10, 2013
and last updated 2013-04-11 06:27:50-04

Virginia Beach, Va. - One clerk says he ran into a real-life kissing bandit at a 7-Eleven in Virginia Beach.

"The kissing bandit sounds funny, but when it really happens to you, it's not funny at all. It's really terrible. It's invading your personal space, and you feel violated," says 25-year-old Bradley Kendrick.

Kendrick was working the night shift two weeks ago at a 7-Eleven on Indian River Road when he and Virginia Beach police say, a man came in around 2:30 a.m. The man told Kendrick he had a question near the bathroom of the store. Then the stranger pushed him up against the wall and kissed him.

"He sticks his tongue down my throat, assaults me, and this lasts for a few seconds, and I'm standing there like wow is this really happening?" Kendrick said.

Kendrick added he was able to get away and run into an office before things escalated with a man he says he's never seen before in his life.

And it doesn't end there. Kendrick said the man lingered around the store and waited for him to come out, until another employee made him leave.

"I thought I was safe! I was at work. Maybe I was expecting to be robbed, but I was never expected to be assaulted," Kendrick said.

The kiss may have only lasted a couple of seconds, but Kendrick said the memory of it is scarring.

"Every day I still think about it, and it bothers me really bad. I have anxiety attacks every day. I have nightmares about it," he said.

To help cope, he says he's made an appointment with a psychiatrist, an effort that he hopes will help him move on from what he calls the worst kiss of his life.

Since the incident, Kendrick no longer works at the 7-Eleven, and he's now looking for another job.

If you know anything that could help police catch the kissing bandit, call the Crime Line at 1-888-LOCK-U-UP.

Related: 

Man wanted for stealing kiss from 7-Eleven store clerk