A dairy worker in Gisborne has been left shaken after two teenagers armed with a tomahawk robbed a store and briefly chased him during the incident.
According to a report by the NZ Herald, police said the robbery occurred at the former Mill Rd store on Gladstone Rd, now operating as the Roll-In Cafe, at around 9 am on Friday. According to Detective Sergeant Brent Griffiths of the Gisborne Crime Squad, two heavily disguised teenage males of slim build entered the shop and stole a large quantity of cigarettes.
The store attendant said the offenders visited the shop twice before carrying out the robbery.
“The first time they drove off because there were customers inside,” he said, as quoted by NZ Herald.
“They came inside about 15-20 minutes later, with masks on and armed with an axe.
“I hit my panic button and stepped back into the kitchen area of the shop"
“One of them chased me into the rear of the shop, but he stopped and went back when I called for help from a colleague"
“They both broke into the cigarette dispenser with the axe, filled a large bag full of cigarettes, ran out to their car and drove off,” NZ Herald has quoted.
The worker said the ordeal left him shaken.
“The incident ‘really scared’ him.
“Something like this has never happened to me before,” as quoted by the NZ Herald.
Police told Herald that the suspects fled the scene in a stolen silver Nissan Tiida, which was later located on Campbell St about two hours after the robbery.
Griffiths urged anyone with information about the incident or the vehicle to contact the police.