LAKELAND, Fla. — A man accused of punching a gas station employee in the face is now facing a manslaughter charge after police say the employee later died.
According to Lakeland Police Department, 35-year-old Mandel Baker was captured on security cameras entering the Mobil Gas Station food mart at 1615 W. Memorial Blvd. at around 5:30 p.m. on February 1.
Investigators were told by witnesses that Baker had been in the store asking for cigarettes. They say he asked two different store clerks for cigarettes and said he'd pay them on a later date. Both clerks said no.
Police say that's when Baker ran toward one of the employees and punched him in the face.
When the 58-year-old employee was punched, he fell backward, hit his head and was seriously injured, according to authorities. He was taken to Lakeland Regional Health for treatment of life-threatening injuries where police say he never regained consciousness and died on March 7.
"The findings of an autopsy, conducted on March 9, 2021, determined the cause of death to be trauma to the head, and the manner of death was classified as a homicide," the Lakeland Police Department wrote.
Baker remains in the Polk County Jail where he already faces felony battery charges for the incident.
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