Brave Yagoona owner grabs knife from teens who allegedly held up store
The owner of a south-west Sydney supermarket, which was allegedly held up by knife-wielding men, has bravely grabbed the knife from one of them.
The Express
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The brave owner of a Yagoona supermarket, allegedly held up by three young people, said he kept calm before snatching the knife away from one of the hooded men.
Mr Al Nader, originally from Syria, said it was the first time this had happened to him but the newsagency a few doors from him had been robbed a few weeks ago.
“I had heard about the many robberies in NSW and knew what I could do,” Mr Al Nader told The Express.
“Thank God no one was hurt and I was worried for my nephews, who are visiting from New Zealand, as they were in the shop at that time.
“I stayed calm and I could see one of the men, who was holding the bag with the cigarettes, that the hand holding the knife was a bit weak due to the bag’s weight.
“So I grabbed the knife by the handle and pulled it away.”
At this point, Mr Nader and police say, the two men threw their bag on the ground and ran out of the store.
Mr Al Nader was with his nephews when two men dressed in hooded jumpers and balaclavas entered the Yagoona Supermarket on Rookwood Rd, around 6.45om on Thursday.
Bankstown police will allege that two teens walked behind the counter and allegedly threatened Al Nader with knives.
Police said another male was at the entrance.
The two males then produced a bag and allegedly demanded cash and cigarettes.
Mr Al Nader, who has been running the store for more than two-and-half years, said he gave them cigarettes before throwing some of the ground.
His 18-year-old nephew, who had come to the store with his younger 15-year-old brother, was behind the counter and handed over some cash to the man, Mr Nader said.
Bankstown Police were able to find and arrest the three youth, all aged 16, after searching the area.
“About $4500 worth of cigarettes and $200 cash was taken by the men but they were recovered,” Bankstown police acting inspector Josh McEvoy said.
“No one was hurt.”
Mr Al Nader praised the Bankstown police for their quick work, saying he never expected the men would be arrested so quickly.
“Many customers have dropped in to check on me too, saying they are happy we were safe,” he said.
One of Mr Al Nader’s neighbours, Alex El-Hassan — who runs the Mina Bakery store — said what happened was frightening.
“Imad is a very honest man who works seven days a week and always helps people who cannot afford to pay the full costs,” Mr El-Hassan said.
The two teens were charged with robbery armed with offensive weapon while the third male was also charged with breach of bail.
All were refused bail and are due to appear before a children’s court on Friday.