Boronia attempted robbery foiled by attendant
DRAMATIC footage has captured a brave milk bar attendant in Boronia as he fought off an offender with his bare hands, before bystanders rallied to make a citizen’s arrest. SEE THE VIDEO
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A BRAVE milk bar attendant has foiled an attempted robbery at his family business in Boronia, fighting off a man armed with a baseball bat with his bare hands.
A man stormed Guang Ming-Feng’s Coleman Rd Convenience Store on Saturday at 7pm where his nephew Zheng Zhang was working.
CCTV footage shows the alleged offender, armed with a baseball bat, swing no fewer than 11 times at Mr Zhang, a Chinese national who moved to Melbourne to study English at Swinburne University.
Mr Zhang, 21, fought the robber off with a small baton, before disarming the crook, putting him in a headlock and pushing him out of the store with his bare hands.
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The two punched each other before their scuffle spilt onto the street where neighbours were waiting to help.
“I was really scared, I don’t understand why he’d do that to me … I just work here,” Mr Zhang said.
“It makes me feel unsafe, I’m stressed.”
Mr Zhang yelled for help to friends at neighbouring local businesses and urged them to call 000.
Puru Siva was working at Divya Indian Groceries when he heard Mr Zhang cry for help.
Mr Siva joined forces with five other bystanders who performed a citizen’s arrest by pinning the alleged offender to the ground and using a trolley to keep him at bay.
“I pushed a shopping trolley on to him to lock him in, the whole scene was unbelievable,” he said.
“The family are really helpful and nice people, they’re always smiling.”
Mr Siva said the family were extremely hard working, often worrying long hours, seven days a week.
“It should not be like this. These people come and rob us when we work for every penny, it can’t be acceptable.”
Owner of the Convenience store Guang Ming-Feng said they were no strangers to crime; the store was burgled in 2017 and staff were threatened with a knife in 2016.
An 18-year-old Meadow Heights man was arrested at the scene.
He has been charged with attempted armed robbery and will appear at Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Monday.
Mr Zhang was taken to hospital with minor injuries including a black eye but was back at work hours after the attempted armed robbery.
“Because he is my uncle I’m happy to help him,” Mr Zhang said.