Shopkeepers bravely fought back against a group of masked thugs armed with a machete and a hockey stick who raided a Hamilton bottle shop.
The late-night heist was captured on CCTV and shows the dreadful moment a sole shopkeeper found himself chased around his store by a man brandishing a huge machete.
And if that wasn't dreadful enough, footage shows the robbery taking a sickening twist when another shopkeeper tries to take on a robber only to be repeatedly stabbed with what looks like a screwdriver.
The 80-second-long raid, which happened on Tuesday night at the Thirsty Liquor Hillcrest in Hamilton, is captured unfolding on an instore security camera.
Footage shows the unsuspecting shopkeeper walking out from the chiller into the path of three men, one wielding a machete high above his head. Another starts pummelling him with punches before the injured shopkeeper makes a run for the door.
Despite shelves brimming with alcohol the robbers target the store's cigarette supplies, with a heavily disguised person stacking boxes on the counter ready to be taken into the getaway car.
With the under-siege shopkeeper fleeing outside, the attack continues on the footpath and the defenceless man is repeatedly kicked and punched and a chair is forcefully thrown at him.
But then a hero shopkeeper from a neighbouring unit appears and using an upturned stool attempts to take on one of the trio.
It turns ugly when he ends up on the ground being repeatedly stabbed by a long tool that looks like a screwdriver and is whacked by a hockey stick.
Another woman armed with a thermos races outside but at this stage the trio head back to the waiting car before driving off.
In a post on Facebook, the liquor shop owner apologises for closing early calling it "an unfortunate event".
"Here is a little video of what we went through and hope no one else has to undergo this sort of incident," the post read.
In a comment under the robbery, the shop owner said the car was understood to be stolen and recovered by police.
Police and the store owner have been approached for comment.