Police in hunt for machete raiders
Manhunt after masked robbers strike at Spar shop and threaten staff with weapons
THIS is the moment a masked robber carrying a huge machete burst into a Spar store in a terrifying raid.
CCTV images of the robbery have now been released by police, who said the two men involved used ‘fear and intimidation’ to force staff to hand over cash.
One man working inside was attacked with a baseball bat.
The CCTV images show the first man wearing blue jeans and black trainers running into the store.
His face is obscured by the hood of his coat and a mask – and he’s carrying the fearsome blade in his right hand.
The knifeman’s accomplice was armed with the baseball bat and he’s also pictured entering the store on Stockport Road in Marple, Stockport, at around 10.55pm on December 26 last year.
They threatened two male members of staff and hit one across the legs with the bat, police said, but he wasn’t seriously injured.
Police said the robbers made threats before escaping towards Primrose Avenue with a haul of cash. An exact sum stolen hasn’t been revealed.
Det Con Jenny Mills, of GMP’s Stockport division, appealed for witnesses or anyone with information to come forward.
She said: “These men waited for their moment of opportunity as the store was closing and struck.
“Armed with a baseball bat and a machete, they used fear and intimidation to force the store assistants to hand over cash before fleeing the scene. In the midst of the threats made, the man carrying the baseball bat hit one of the members of staff in the leg, causing minor injuries.
“Thankfully, nobody suffered any serious injuries but we could easily be talking about a completely different situation here.
“We have released these images in the hope that somebody will be able to help us identify the men pictured so I would urge anybody with information to please contact police.”
The raid was the latest in a series of knifepoint robberies at shops in the east of Stockport through December.
Both Woodley Food and Wines, on Hyde Road and Bredbury Service Station, on Lower Bents Lane, were targeted by a lone man who used a child’s push bike to flee the scene.
Those incidents happened on December 6 within minutes of each other.
Anybody with information about the Marple raid can call police on 101 or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.