A Christchurch worker took matters into his own hands early Saturday morning, wielding a baseball bat to shatter the windows of stolen cars to scare off offenders after they ram-raided a liquor store.
Around 1:45 am, five offenders arrived at Frank’s Liquor Store on Ilam Road, near Clyde Road, in two stolen vehicles, a Mazda Demio and a Subaru Impreza.
They rammed the store’s front doors to gain access and began looting.
A worker, who was nearby at the time, told chrislynchmedia.com, “I heard a loud crash and initially thought it was a car accident. But then it happened again, and I immediately knew what it was. So, I grabbed my baseball bat and ran over.”
Worker seen in top left hand corner with baseball bat
Arriving at the scene, the worker saw two cars parked in the forecourt, with one having already broken through the store’s doors and gates. “I immediately smashed the rear windscreen of one of the cars, which threw the offenders into a panic. They scrambled to escape, and I smashed more of their windscreens as they rushed back into the cars.”
The offenders fled shortly after, but not before causing extensive damage to the store. “They probably did upwards of $25,000 worth of damage and smashed almost $2,000 worth of booze,” said the worker.
The worker described the group as five people, “Four of them were wearing all black with masks, but there was one chubby white guy, maybe 15 years old, who wasn’t wearing a mask.”
When asked why they had used a baseball bat, the worker explained, “For safety. I don’t know if they’re armed or not. I’m there to protect a business and someone’s livelihood. But outnumbered five to one, I knew I needed some form of protection.”
Nearby residents called the police. “Neighbours across the street even took a video from their window, which they sent me later,” the worker said.
Police arrived soon after, initially leaving to track down the offenders. “Four other officers came afterward, but they didn’t do much,” the worker said.
On Monday morning, the worker visited the police station to give a full statement. “The police told me they had located both stolen vehicles and taken them for fingerprinting, but that’s all the information they had for now.”
The worker said, “The one I saw without a mask was definitely quite young. The others seemed older, late teens to early 20s, perhaps.
“These kids likely don’t have strong support from their parents. They need to understand that actions have consequences, or else they’ll be on this path for life.”
“They’re already being failed by the system and, sadly, this kind of offending may only continue,” the worker said.
