Store workers shaken after brazen early-hours heist
As a group of masked people rushed into the store — one of them wielding a hammer — the young staff member behind the counter put his hands up and the offenders started smashing glass cabinets.
It was an attack staff at the GC VapeShop 24/7 in the Auckland suburb of Mt Albert say has left them scared for their safety.
A spokesperson for the store, who asked not to be named, said it looked like a group of six young men, all wearing hooded jumpers, were involved in the incident about 2.17am yesterday.
The footage shows those involved smashing glass cabinets near the counter and working quickly to grab vape products inside. The young staffer, still with his hands up, backs into a corner.
“They smash the windows, [take] products and [take] all the money. It was very fast — it’s just
40 seconds,” the spokesperson said.
Several customers were inside the store — which doubles as a
24/7 internet cafe — gaming at the time. No injuries were reported.
The store is one of three businesses targeted by armed robbers in the past two days.
On Wednesday, just before midnight, a nearby bar was hit. Four masked offenders with weapons including a firearm smashed into the Mt Albert Sports Bar and stole cash from the register.
A staff member was left shaken, but uninjured.
Police were also called to an incident at the Harlequin Bar & Restaurant in nearby suburb of Pt Chevalier just before 1am yesterday.
Multiple offenders turned up to the bar armed with hammers and a firearm, authorities said.
“One person has fired a shot inside the premises, which has struck a TV on a wall behind the bar,” Detective Senior Sergeant Ash Matthews said.
“The offenders have taken money from the tills and gaming machines before fleeing.
“It’s incredibly lucky no [one] was physically injured during this incident.”
Police believed the Mt Albert Sports Bar incident and the Harlequin Bar & Restaurant incident were linked. However, they have not said whether the vape shop incident involved the same group.
Police said a stolen vehicle the offenders left the vape shop in had been found in Blockhouse Bay, and would undergo forensic examination.
The vape shop spokesperson acknowledged how seemingly unfazed the offenders were as they carried out their raid.
“It’s the most scary part — they’re not afraid of anything.”
By mid-morning, workers were still sweeping up shattered pieces of glass both outside and inside the shop.
The spokesperson said staff dealt with shoplifting regularly. The owners have another store in O¯ ta¯huhu and between the two staff dealt with “a couple” of incidents every week.
But this was the first time an incident had been so severe.
“To be honest, I’m getting used to this. It’s just that it happens so many times — but this is aggressive,” the spokesperson said.
They hoped politicians were working on preventing such attacks.
“We came here four years ago from China. This is a great country. Everything is great. This kind of thing never happened . . . and then this one year or two, it’s just deteriorated quite beyond imagination.
“We can never imagine living in a society like this. It’s like Gotham. I’m serious. They’ve got to do something. It’s definitely not safe. It shouldn’t be like this. We cannot just roll the dice.”
Police ask anyone who saw anything that might be connected to the incidents, or who might have useful video or dashcam footage, to contact them immediately.
“While we want to remind people never to put themselves in harm’s way, we always encourage witnesses to come forward.”
● Can you help? Contact police on 105 or CrimeStoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111