Machete held to Ma¯ngere store owner’s face
A dairy’s owners are shaken and frustrated after a violent robbery at their Ma¯ngere business on Monday.
Police are hunting four offenders, armed with weapons, who carried out a robbery at Gadsby Supermarket on Gadsby Rd at 7.05am.
The co-owner working at the time, who asked not to be identified, says he went into the back room to wash his cup when the four offenders entered the store.
‘‘I saw them enter with machetes and a kitchen knife, I ran [to the back door] and two of them ran and grabbed me,’’ he says.
‘‘They held me down and held the machete over me ... one said ‘give me the smokes, keys and phones’.’’
CCTV footage seen by Manukau Courier showed the violent robbery take place in under two minutes.
The co-owner was huddled in a corner of the backroom. One of the offenders repeatedly held a machete to his face.
He says they kept demanding the keys to the till and money. In the tussle, one of the offenders left large gashes from a machete on shelves above where the owner huddled.
The footage shows the owner surrendering; his hands raised and on his head. One of the offenders kept pushing him around while holding the machete.
In the same room, another offender can be seen rummaging through draws. Back in the store, two others were taking money and cigarettes.
Once the offenders ran outside, the shop owner fled out the back door and called police who arrived about 10 minutes later.
In other footage, the four offenders can be seen lurking at the corner of the block of shops and at a neighbouring reserve at about 7am.
‘‘People’s lives are in danger, this is not right, people’s lives are more than just cigarettes and money,’’ the other co-owner says.
‘‘The punishment needs to increase, they might stop this if that’s the case.’’
Detective Senior Sergeant Karen Bright says the four offenders fled the store through a neighbouring reserve to Opawa Cres where they may have got into a waiting vehicle.
‘‘They held me down and holding the machete over me.’’
If you have information, contact police on 09 261 1321 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.