This is the moment, caught on CCTV, when five robbers got more than they bargained for at a bungled raid on a Bradford off-licence.
As the gang barged into Charlie’s Off-licence in Thornton Road brandishing a metal pole and shouting for cash, shopkeeper Pravin Mistry turned the shock on them and pulled out a hammer from under his counter before chasing them off.
The gang is shown on the footage turning and fleeing in seconds as 39-year-old Pravin Mistry sends them on their way out of the door.
Mr Mistry said it was just “gut instinct” to do what he did and he had his family unawares upstairs to think off.
“I didn’t have time to think what to do. The hammer was already under the counter, I knew it was there, so I just went for it. It was the last thing they expected,” he said.
He added: “My wife and two kids were upstairs. The men were shouting ‘give us the money’, so I said all right then and bent down to the counter then came back up with the hammer and ran after them shouting. They couldn’t get out quick enough.
“I called the police straight after and they told me to shut the shop, but I’ve got a job to do and a business to run – they won’t stop me. I think they were all quite young, about 18, but I couldn’t see their faces because they were covered up.”
For more on this story, see today's T&A
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