Store Clerk Beaten for Cigarettes, Head Crushed

A Florida store clerk was viciously beaten over two cartons of cigarettes.

A man walked into Alex's mini-market Sunday afternoon. He brought two gallons of milk to the front counter.

Just as the store's owner began bagging the items, the suspect pulled out a spray can and doused him with an unknown chemical.

But he didn't stop there.

The suspect then grabbed a sledgehammer and started attacking the victim -- bludgeoning him in the head six times.

He eventually grabbed two cartons of cigarettes before fleeing the scene.

"I have two kids, 11 and 7, and he came in, and he sprayed my husband's eyes, and then, he had a hammer and beat him in the head several times," said Phoung Cen, the victim's wife.

The store owner is in extremely critical condition.

Miami police released the surveillance video, hoping it will help lead them to the suspect -- who could face a murder charge if the victim doesn't survive.