He also interfered with two vehicles parked outside the house.
At one point, he can be seen ducking below the fence line to avoid being seen by a passing car.
At 7.20am, the man entered the superette and asked the employee to buy a phone charger, but said he wanted to see that it fitted his phone, first.
The female staff member can be seen gesturing for the man to try the charger over the main counter, but the man came around the side instead.
As the woman put the charger near his phone, he put his hand over her mouth and shoved her to the ground.
She was able to trigger the fog cannon as the altercation unfolded.
The man allegedly dragged her to a back room and left her on the ground as he turned to the adjoining house.
Patel said the staff member was seven months pregnant and was not meant to be working, but she had come in at the last-minute to cover for an unwell colleague.
He said all she was concerned about was whether her baby was okay.
A hospital check after the assault confirmed both mum and baby were healthy.
The intruder gained access to the residential property by forcing open a door.
He went straight to the bedroom where Patel’s father was sleeping and allegedly demanded money.
Patel claimed his father climbed out of his bedroom window to get away from the man and hurt his abdomen as a result.
“One second you’re waking up, and the next there is someone in your face demanding money.”
Patel said he eventually realised the man was looking for an escape. When the man left the house, Patel claimed he jumped the fence and spent some time looking around his neighbour’s yard.
This is the third time Allandale Superette has been robbed while under the ownership of Patel and his family.
Their Goulstone Rd dairy, Aotearoa Superette, has been the victim of similar offending twice.
The offending had a traumatic effect, he said, and made him question all sorts of bumps in the night – including the strong wind Whakatāne had on Wednesday.
He regularly checked his doors were locked and looked at his cameras before going outside.
But it hadn’t affected the way the Patels interacted with their customers, some of whom were present and sprang into action to help that Saturday.
According to court documents, a 33-year-old man has been charged in connection with the offending.
He is due to appear in Whakatāne District Court this month on charges of assault with intent to rob Allandale Superette, intentional damage, being found without reasonable excuse within a yard, two counts of unlawfully entering buildings at the address and two counts of dishonestly interfering with motor vehicles.
