Hadfield IGA: Man charged after alleged standoff
A man has been charged over an alleged would-be armed robbery in Hadfield, which dramatically unfolded on video. In the clip, a shopkeeper can be heard screaming at the alleged robber after a gun went off in the struggle. WATCH THE VIDEO.
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A man has been charged over an alleged would-be armed robbery in Hadfield at the weekend.
Investigators believe three men stormed an IGA on North Street on Sunday night, armed with a gun.
The trio allegedly threatened two local shop attendants, aged 54 and 30, and demanded cash.
But one of the shopkeepers fought back, performing a citizen’s arrest and bravely disarming his alleged male attacker.
That man, a 22-year-old from Lalor, has since been charged by police.
Victoria Police spokeswoman Scout Rigoni said the man fronted the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court this morning.
“(He was) charged with reckless conduct endangering life, attempted armed robbery, prohibited person possess firearm and bail related offences,” she said.
He has since been further remanded and will be back in court on May 29.
Investigators are still hunting the man’s alleged accomplices, who they believe fled the scene.
The trio are described as having a slim build and were wearing dark coloured clothing and covering their faces with bandannas.
The arrest follows the alleged armed robbery being captured in a video obtained by Leader which appears to show the store’s owner holding one of the alleged robbers down after obtaining the gun.
“You nearly killed me, you understand,” the shop owner said.
“You f---ing nearly shoot my head, you understand?
“Put your hands up, put your hands up, this is the last warning, put your hands up.”
In another video obtained by Leader, two police officers, who were first to the scene, can be heard asking if the man on the ground had been shot.
Hadfield resident Mazena said she heard screaming before police arrived.
“I heard someone say ‘put your hands up’ so went to the back corner of the street,” she told 3AW.
“Sirens started coming and cop cars started coming in. At the time they (shop owners) had one of the guys who tried robbing the shop, he was getting beaten up big time.
“Three other robbers got in their car and drove off.”
Paramedics treated three people at the scene after being called about 8.50pm.
Two men, believed to be in their 20s, were taken to the Royal Melbourne Hospital with upper body injuries.
Both were in a stable condition.
A man in his 30s was taken to the Northern Hospital in a stable condition with an arm injury.
It comes as BWS bottle shops across Melbourne have been hard-hit in a series of overnight burglaries on liquor stores this year in the eastern, northern and western suburbs.
Among outlets recently targeted have been stores in Glen Waverley, Noble Park and Mount Evelyn in the early hours of February 24.
Two men have already been charged by officers from northwest metro who have been running an operation investigating the raids.
The pair, aged 27 and 48 from Kensington, faced Melbourne Magistrates’ Court this week.
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