MASKED MACHETE MANIAC ROBS SHOP
Thug swung blade at shocked worker in terrifying raid
A stunned Paisley shopkeeper has told how a thief armed with a machete swung at him, before making off with an empty till.
The victim described the terrifying moment the masked knifeman burst into his Neilston Road shop and demanded cash.
Detectives are now hunting the blade bandit over the robbery, which happened at the Day-Today express around 9.30pm on Thursday.
The owner of the store, which is known locally as Wishing Well , revealed how the armed raider took several swings at him with a large knife during the ordeal, before making off with the till.
The boss, who asked not to be named, said: “It had been a quiet day, so I was just sitting behind the counter when the guy burst in with a huge knife and swung it straight at me and demanded money.
“I told him where to go and he came round the side of the counter and kept swinging the knife at me. It was like a big machete.
“He kept demanding money from the till and then he grabbed the till computer and ran out the door with it.”
The have-a-go shopkeeper chased after the thug, but was unable to keep up as he ran out of sight.
He added: “I followed him straight out and ran after him, but he ran up into Calside and I lost him.
“It all happened so fast, I barely had time to register what happened.
“Thankfully, he never got any cash, but the computer till system is worth a few thousand pounds.
“This is the second time we have been robbed. It happened a
few years ago t o o. Unfortunately, it’s something you expect to happen when you own a shop.”
Cops described the suspect as being white, around 5ft 7ins tall and he spoke with a local accent.
He was wearing a dark Adidas tracksuit top with red stripes on the shoulder and sleeves, black jogging bottoms and white Lacoste trainers with a white face mask and black gloves.
Detective Constable Robert Young, of Paisley CID, said: “Nobody was injured, but this was a frightening experience for the staff involved.
“Extensive enquiries are ongoing to identify the man responsible, including reviewing CCTV from the area.
“Anyone who believes they may have information which could help to identify the man, or who may have been in the area at the time of the robbery, is urged to contact police as soon as they can.
“I would also encourage anyone who may have been driving in the area and recording via a dash- cam device to check their systems for relevant footage.”
Anyone who believes they may have information is asked to cont a c t police on 101, quoting incident 3545 of April 29, or call Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.