An employee of a St. Paul gas station was burned when an angry customer filled a 16-ounce cup of coffee and threw it in his face, police said Monday.

Police were called to the SuperAmerica at the edge of downtown, at East Seventh and Wall streets, just before 7 a.m. Friday.

A young man had tried to buy cigarettes, but the clerk wouldn’t sell them to him because the customer lacked identification, said Steve Linders, a St. Paul police spokesman.

The next customer in line asked for the same kind of cigarettes and the clerk suspected he would give them to the first man, so he refused to sell them to him, too, Linders said. The second man who tried to buy cigarettes became angry, yelling and swearing.

The clerk, a 54-year-old man, told the angry customer to leave the store. Instead, the man went to the coffee machine, filled a large cup with coffee, threw it at the clerk and ran out, according to Linders.

Paramedics took the victim to Regions Hospital for burns to his face and chest. He told police he was in extreme pain and his vision was slightly blurred in one eye, Linders said. Regions did not have information Monday about the clerk’s condition.

Police have information about the suspect’s identity, Linders said. He had not been arrested as of Monday morning.