Former Baywatch star expresses shock after shop assistant is critically injured attempting to apprehend thieves

This article is more than 7 years old

This article is more than 7 years old

David Hasselhoff has expressed dismay after learning that a shop assistant was critically injured while trying to stop thieves from stealing signs featuring life-size images of him hawking iced coffee.

The former Baywatch and Knight Rider star has been promoting Cumberland Farms iced coffee since last year, and the signs have become popular items to steal, police said.

Hasselhoff tweeted about Tuesday's robbery in Shelton, urging people to pray that the 36-year-old shop assistant makes a full recovery.

"I am shocked and truly saddened about the Cumberland Farms store clerk tragedy," Hasselhoff said in a posting on his official Twitter account. "My heartfelt thoughts and prayers are with him and his family!"

The Cumberland Farms worker, whom authorities have not named, suffered a head injury when he was hit by the thieves' sport utility vehicle and dragged, police said. He remained hospitalised in a critical condition on Wednesday.

The shop assistant saw a man cut two of the Hasselhoff signs off a light pole and put them in the SUV, authorities said. The employee was injured trying to confront the suspects as they drove away.

A 19-year-old man came forward on Tuesday evening and confessed that he was the driver of the SUV, Shelton police said on Wednesday. Authorities have not released the man's name, but say he is co-operating. Police say two other people were involved in the theft.

Police have recovered the two stolen signs.

Cumberland Farms sent several employees to Connecticut to offer any help they can to the shop assistant and his family, company spokeswoman Carin Warner said.

Warner said the number of thefts of the Hasselhoff signs has significantly decreased since last year.