Horrific and nerve-wracking videos have emerged showing a brazen armed robbery by three masked men at a liquor store in Hamilton on Tuesday, July 14.
The incident occurred at 6:51 p.m. at Thirsty Liquor in Hillcrest suburb of Hamilton city where three miscreants wearing hoodies, caps and masking with bandanas and armed with a machete, knives and a screwdriver stormed the store and started taking liquor bottles and cigarette trays.
Karun Mittal, the store manager present at the time, as seen in the CCTV footage, was attacked by two robbers, as soon as he stepped out of the chiller room, as he tried to escape punches towards the entrance of the store.
The two men, one carrying a machete, loaded his sack with liquor bottles from the rear of the store, while the other carrying a screwdriver stacked cigarette trays on the cash counter.
Another person who saw the ongoing robbery ran into a backroom, perhaps to call the police reporting the incident.
Mr Mittal, after being hurled punches ran out of the store on to the parking space while the three men took back the goods into their white sedan on standby in the parking lot.
While trying to run away from the third robber, Mr Mittal bravely confronted the robber was kicked on his leg as he fell on his face hitting a plastic table of the neighbour takeaway shop, Hillcrest Kitchen. The robber further attacked Mr Mittal with his fist and then hurled a plastic chair on to him.
Trying to keep the store attendant at bay, the third robber kept threatening him physically before cornering him to the takeaway shop where he sought help of the attendant there.
A good Samaritan, store attendant of the Hillcrest Kitchen came out and advanced towards the robber before being physically intimidated by the second robber brandishing the screwdriver.
The man was further subjected to attacks with a screwdriver on his arm and face and kicked while on the ground as he tried to defend himself. The man suffered a stab on his arm but escaped another hit by a jiffy by another robber trying to hit him with a hockey stick.
The robbers dropped their tobacco boxes from their vehicle before escaping from the scene.
Both, Mr Mittal and the next-door store attendant were taken to Waikato Hospital and discharged later.
As per reports, this is the fourth armed robbery that has taken place in Hamilton in the last four days.
Police have registered a case against the three unknown miscreants, investigating the incident while the offenders are still at large.
Police have appealed anyone with information to contact Hamilton police via 105 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
(All pictures are screengrabs, sourced from CCTV footage of the armed robbery posted on Facebook)