Dangerous Courage – Graz: Customers overwhelm robbers in the supermarket

After this shocking experience, the cashier had to be taken care of by the crisis intervention center: it was just before 1:30 p.m. on Friday when a masked man suddenly appeared in front of her in a supermarket on Sparbersbachgasse in Graz! The face was covered with a slotted woolen hood – and the perpetrator had a knife in his hand with which he threatened the 20-year-old. “Money here, money here,” he demanded in Styrian dialect.

But the young woman couldn’t open the till – that’s not possible without a payment transaction – and fled to a back sales area where a colleague was. The 36-year-old rushed forward, and the man was still standing with the knife drawn.

Throw in a headbutt
But no one expected two extremely brave customers: the two sneak up on the perpetrator from behind, use the surprise effect and put him in a “lock”. As a result, together with the employee, they managed to wrestle the man to the ground, take the knife from him and fix it until the police arrived on the scene and arrested the suspect.

The robbery was thwarted in this way, fortunately everything went so that no one was injured. But the police also find words of warning: “We are pleased with the civic courage and vigilance of the population,” said spokesman Christoph Grill. “But please always act carefully and thoughtfully. It is better to call the police.”

Lack of money as a motive
The suspect is a rather innocent 49-year-old, and he gave his “precarious financial situation” as a motive. The murder weapon was a pointed kitchen knife.