Brimbank Embona Taskforce detectives are calling for an elderly Asian man to come forward after being unwittingly involved in a “vicious and violent” armed robbery in a Sunshine West supermarket last Wednesday evening.
Detectives have released CCTV vision of a man going into the Tallentyre Road Asian supermarket around 6.30pm were he grabs the Asian man by the neck and drags him to the front counter, demanding cash from the male shop attendant.
The shop attendant emptied the tills into a backpack. The customer was then released.
The middle-aged offender is described as over 100 kilograms, about 180 centimetres with a tanned complexion, wearing a blue and white spotted bandana on his head, and a green bandana covering his face. He was dressed in a black hoooded jumper and black pants.
Constable Michael Kon said the man stole a “substantial” amount of cash, believed to be in the thousands of dollars.
“We believe he’s still in possession of the machete… I would say he’s very violent and needs to be caught.
“It’s definitely a vicious and violent attack.”
The elderly Asian man, who left the store before police arrived uninjured, was wearing a black hat and is believed to be a regular customer at the supermarket.
Another customer, a female, hid behind shelves during the theft.
Police are still reviewing CCTV footage outside the shop as police are unsure in which direction he fled.
“Best footage was found inside the store,” he said. “We don’t believe it’s connected to any other robberies in the area.
Detectives believe the offender was loitering outside the supermarket an hour before the incident.
Information to Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or visit their website here.
