‘HE LOOKED DODGY, (WITH) A BALACLAVA’
HERO RELIVES GREAT CHEMIST ROBBERY
WHEN Gerard Pashkevich went out for a quiet dinner he never imagined it would end in him wrestling an alleged armed robber to the ground.
But just before 8.30pm on Sunday night that’s exactly what happened.
Mr Pashkevich, 20, and his friend Andy Davis, 27, were walking past a Southport chemist with their partners when they realised something wasn’t quite right.
The group saw a man enter the Greg Keily Chemist on Marine Pde and followed him inside to investigate.
“He looked dodgy, he had a balaclava on and all that,” Mr Pashkevich said. “We walked up to the window and saw he was definitely robbing the place, so we got the girls to go back to the restaurant and call police.”
Mr Pashkevich and Mr Davis then entered the chemist and walked up to the front counter, along with the neighbouring restaurant owner.
“He was putting (medication) drugs in the bag, he looked up, stared at us and said he had a gun,” Mr Pashkevich said. “It’s pretty scary when someone says they’ve got a gun and it didn’t look like he had a plastic one, it looked pretty legit.”
He said the female worker behind the counter appeared “really scared”.
When the man tried to “leg it”, Mr Pashkevich and Mr Davis grabbed him and wrestled him to the ground.
In the ensuing struggle, Mr Pashkevich’s right ring finger knuckle was broken.
“I didn’t feel it at all,” he said. “Afterwards I looked at my hand and it was pretty gross. The bony part snapped.”
Within five minutes police arrived and the man was taken into custody.
IT’S PRETTY SCARY WHEN SOMEONE SAYS THEY’VE GOT A GUN
The 47-year-old alleged offender, from Burleigh Waters, remains in lock-up, before a scheduled court appearance today.
Mr Pashkevich said his girlfriend had been proud of his bravery, but also lectured him on the dangers of wrestling a robber.
The Southport resident said he lost his thongs in the scuffle but the chemist later provided him with a new pair.
“I’m cheering,” he said. “Instant karma.”