Caught Red Handed

I read an article a few days ago on MSN and he was talking about a man stealing a donut from the local corner store. The man was caught by the clerk and instead of putting the donut back he pushed the clerk out of the way and mad his way to the exit. The man was later arrested and he face serving a a maxi um of 30years. The man has prior records of breaking the law. The police and prosecutors said that the reason for the 30yr sentences is because he assaulted the clerk. The article do not say that the clerk was injured in any way. I believe that even though he did a bad thing. I do not believe that he should be charged for a 30 year sentence for stealing a donut of pushing the clerk. What do you guys think?