Smash and grab in Union Street

TWO armed robbers casually entered O.M.Gees on Tuesday, pretending to be looking for something to drink .

‘I was helping a customer when they walked in, acting as if they couldn’t open the fridge, to get my attention,’ said the owner.

‘When I turned around to get something after the customer left, one of them hit me from behind.’

The man forced her behind the counter at gunpoint and demanded whatever cash she had, then told her to move into the stockroom. Unknown to the men, the owner’s daughter and her boyfriend were working in the room, unaware of what was going on.

The robbers turned the gun on to the daughter and boyfriend instructing them to lie down, but after being burgled a few days prior the couple would not go down without a fight.

The boyfriend stood up slowly pretending to cooperate then suddenly lunged at the nearest robber, catching him off guard and knocking him into his armed accomplice, sending them both to the floor.

In the ensuing scuffle he managed to restrain one of them, but the other, armed with the gun, managed to escape with the cash.

Meanwhile, his girlfriend managed to pull her mother out of harm’s way and both dashed to the nearest panic button.

An employee of a nearby business saw the man flee in a white Polo Vivo, and officials suspect the same vehicle was used in the robbery of Caltex Main Road on 1 January.

‘I was shocked at the response we received from the security company and the police. It took them close to an hour to respond,’ said the owner.

‘No one in the area bothered to help either, and the building security just watched as my daughter’s boyfriend struggled to restrain one of the robbers.

The second suspect managed to free himself shortly after the first and escaped on foot, leaving his hat and shoes behind.

No injuries were sustained in the incident.

A case of armed robbery has been opened but no arrests have been made.