An Auckland shopkeeper has described the moment he chased two offenders out of his store during an attempted robbery on Karangahape Road last night.
Walia Superette owner Manggi Sarbjit Singh told 1News he was on the phone with his granddaughter and about to serve a customer when he saw a male "suddenly run from the door", with another person behind him.
The person could be seen on CCTV leaping on the counter, where Singh said he then "took a step back" and "pushed" him off, before the male ran out of the store.
"I then picked up my hockey stick, tried to run behind him, then they jumped in the car and took off.
"It happened within a minute. [I] couldn't think about it."
Singh said robbers usually "come after smokes or cash", and praised the police response. To his "surprise" they responded within "two minutes".
Reflecting on his instinctive reactions the morning after, he said he considered himself "lucky" and said there could have been "no day tomorrow".
Police later confirmed one of the pair had been found with a machete.
"What can I do?" Singh said, "I can't do much, you have to work. You can't sit home scared or something like that."
Four arrested, one with machete
In a statement, police said the two males with covered faces entered the Karangahape Rd store just before 9pm, "verbally abusing the shopkeeper".
Inspector Grae Anderson said one of the offenders "jumped onto the counter", resulting in the shopkeeper chasing them out of the store.
The offenders ran to a stolen car that was waiting for them and fled the area.
“This vehicle was later detected in the Western Springs area, with a police camera operator tracking its movements until the police Eagle helicopter got overhead,” Anderson said.
Two 17-year-olds were arrested after they got out of the car near St Lukes. One was alledgedly carrying a machete.
The stolen vehicle was eventually stopped by police on Te Atatū Rd, and two boys, aged 12 and 13, were taken into custody. The two were referred to Youth Aid.
The 17-year-olds were jointly charged with unlawfully taking a motor vehicle. One was also charged with possessing an offensive weapon.
They were due to appear in the Auckland Youth Court today.
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