Scream sends liquor store robbers into 'panic mode'

Parma Sharma thinks his scream saved his life during an aggravated robbery on Thursday night.

Sharma, a member of staff at Black Bull Liquor in Eltham, South Taranaki, screamed after an offender punched him in the face when he didn't give them the money from the liquor store's till at about 8.30pm.

"Last night when I was working two guys came into the shop and came straight to the counter and they just asked 'give us money'."

Sharma said he didn't understand what offenders said so he replied "what?" only to find one man leap toward him over the counter and punch him in the face.

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"I screamed loud when they punched me."

Sharma thinks his scream is what sent the offenders into panic mode.

Two of his friends were out the back of the store, heard him scream and came running out.

"At the same time they [the offenders] took the boxes from here and they just ran away."

Sharma said his friends chased the offenders out onto the street. They out ran his friends but dropped both 12 pack boxes of Dark Horse kentucky bourbon and cola cans on the way.

This left the offenders with nothing other than the police looking for them.

Sharma is happy to have only ended up with a sore-left cheek.

"I'm very lucky."

Back at work on Friday, Sharma was feeling OK and wasn't frightened but admitted he had spent Thursday night worrying after the confrontation.

He didn't think the offenders had any weapons and only thought they were suspicious when he noticed they were both wearing pairs of gloves.

Detective sergeant Chris Allemann said the police now needed the public's help to try identify the men.

"Two males appear to be in their mid 20s," Allemann said. "Both of their faces were completely covered."

Allemann said both males are around six foot, of a slim build and were dressed in full black - one had his hoodie up and a black bandanna around his face, the other had a hoodie and cap on.

"They ran north onto York St, then west onto Bridge St," he said.

Allemann said police want to hear from anyone with any information or may have seen or heard anything in Eltham on Thursday night or early on Friday. They can be contacted on 06 7595500 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.