Two machete-wielding robbers, who raided a a convenience store in Birmingham and demanded money, were trapped inside the store by a quick-thinking staff for some time before they managed to escape. Police investigation is still on.
The incident took place at Taas Express store in Smethwick area of Birmingham earlier this month, when a gang entered a convenience store and threatened staff with a large knife.
CCTV footage of the attempted robbery obtained by The Telegraph showed the store being raided by masked men, one of whom is seen demanding money from the till while threatening to stab the shopkeeper. At the same time, one of his accomplices began helping himself to items from the shelves.
A quick-thinking member of staff ran from behind the counter, grabbed two bottles of wine and smashed them on the floor, disorienting the robbers.
He then managed to run out of the shop and close the door behind him, trapping two of the suspects, including the one brandishing the machete, inside. One of the suspects managed to escape before the door was pulled shut, but the other two were trapped.
Pulling on the door handle to prevent their escape, the shop worker was joined by brave passers-by who helped stop them fleeing. One of the robbers then began using the machete to smash the reinforced glass in the door in an attempt to get away. As seen in the video above, the robbers managed to destroy the glass door but the staff and the passerby blocked them using a chair.
The suspects eventually managed to escape by climbing out through a bathroom window at the back of the property and are being sought by West Midlands Police.
Recalling the incident, Rajasingam Tharshiya, the owner of the Taas Express store, said that both the men escaped out of the bathroom window together.
Tharshiya told The Telegraph, “The police arrived while they were still inside, but were reluctant to go inside for some reason. At that point, they squeezed out of the bathroom window. It is very frightening this can happen, and our worker was very shaken up but luckily unharmed.”
A police spokesman said, “We were called just before 7pm on 18 April to reports of a disorder at a shop on Bearwood Road, Smethwick. A shop worker was threatened with a knife and offenders attempted to take items from the store.
“The shop worker, along with members of the public, attempted to lock the offenders in the store to prevent them from fleeing the scene. During this, the front door of the store was smashed. A boy, aged 17, was arrested on suspicion of robbery and has since been bailed pending further enquiries.”
