A 65-year-old store clerk was beaten so severely by a drunken assailant early Tuesday that he may lose an eye, Spokane Valley police reported.

The clerk at the Cenex store at 1403 N. Mullan Road declined to sell the man beer because the 2 a.m. deadline for legal sales had just passed.

The victim told officers that the assailant was friendly at first and bought a cup of coffee and then left after some chit-chat. A few minutes later, he came back into the store, dropped the coffee on the floor and began striking the clerk.

What became a prolonged assault injured one of the clerk’s eyes and broke the bone around his eye socket and sinuses. The victim drove to another Cenex to notify police after the assailant left with the store’s portable phone.

The suspect is described as white, 25 years old, 5-foot-9 and 190 to 200 pounds. He wore a white baseball cap with a symbol on it, a light-colored T-shirt and jeans.

Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Check at (509) 456-2233.