When the money didn't immediately appear, the man stabbed the clerk in the neck, then began wailing on him with a hammer. The attacker, described by police as a 5-foot-11-inch, 210-pound black man, then walked from the store with an unknown amount of cash.
The clerks called a friend or family member -- police reports don't say which -- who found him sprawled out behind the counter, bleeding. They called 911, and the clerk was taken to Baylor Hospital, where he remains in critical condition.
Anyone with information should contact Detective Shelton at 214-671-3612 or Crime Stoppers at 214-373-TIPS.