Knife-wielding thief foiled in Hamilton bakery attempt

An alleged attempted armed robbery at a Hamilton bakery was thwarted on Sunday evening after a suspected offender slipped on a freshly mopped floor, allowing staff to fight back and force the group to flee.

Avalon Bakehouse Cafe was closing for the day when several people entered the store and allegedly began stuffing pies and drinks into their bags, while one man approached the till armed with a knife, as reported by Stuff.

Alex, a staff member who spoke to Stuff,  but asked for his surname not to be used, said he had noticed a group of seven or eight people standing outside the shop before they came in. He said he had just finished mopping the floor and initially assumed they were customers.

“That’s when I turned around, and then I just see one of the people with this huge knife,” he said, as quoted by Stuff.

“But then, as soon as he started threatening with the knife, he fell exactly where I just mopped like 2 seconds ago,” Stuff has reported.

The knife reportedly slipped out of the man’s hand and landed “perfectly” beside the baker, Stuff has reported.

Video footage shows other members of the group continuing to grab food and drinks before realising the alleged knifeman had fallen and lost control of the weapon.

“They all got like startled and then half of them ran out and then one of the guys got so scared to the point where he started throwing V drinks at the baker,” Alex said, as reported by Stuff.

“When the guy tried to get up and get the knife, the baker was already in his face with a huge pair of tongs and another knife,” he said, Stuff has quoted.

Alex said the incident felt surreal, with loud clubbing music playing in the background as the baker confronted the group.

“The baker was so strong. He was not scared and intimidated at all, he was just there for us,” Stuff has quoted.

He said the baker fought off the group as they slid tables into him and threw chairs before fleeing the store.

Police said they were called to a business address on Crawford Street around 5.30pm on Sunday following a report of an aggravated robbery.

“It is reported that an altercation, between the business workers and the alleged offenders, took place before the alleged offenders fled the scene,” a police spokesperson said, as quoted by Stuff.

Two youths were arrested following initial police inquiries and are due to appear in the Youth Court. Police said further inquiries were ongoing.