(FOX40.COM) — Stockton Mayor Kevin Lincoln took to social media on Tuesday to share that the 7/11 store clerks seen attacking a suspected shoplifter “are not and never have been suspects.”

Lincoln is referring to the July 29 attack of a suspected homeless man who at around 2:45 a.m. walked into a Stockton 7/11, jumped behind the counter and began clearing shelves full of items into a trash can.

A witness to the event, said that one of the store clerks grabbed the man down from the counter and another employee came around and began beating the suspected homeless man with a stick.

According to Lincoln’s post, his information on the store clerks position in the case came from a conversation with San Joaquin County District Attorney Ron Freitas on Tuesday.

“Any investigation going forward is to hold accountable the individual who threatened and attempted to rob the store clerks,” Lincoln’s post continues.

At the end of the post, Lincoln states that Proposition 47, which changed certain theft offenses from felonies to misdemeanors, has only increased the frequency of shoplifting and decreased law enforcement’s “ability to hold accountable those responsible for such acts.”