An Upper Hutt liquor store said a man assaulted an innocent customer and the assistant manager in an alleged robbery attempt.
A man caught on CCTV throwing punches and projectiles at an Upper Hutt bottle store as staff and customers scrambled to escape him was taken to hospital after injuring himself in the melee.
The incident happened after the 42-year-old allegedly tried to steal a six-pack of drinks from the shop,and was told repeatedly to leave.
He has now been charged with assault and trespassed from the store after the dramatic Saturday night “unprovoked attack”.
The Rimutaka Tavern bar and bottle shop posted online about the incident, saying he had been barred from the store after the alleged unsuccessful theft attempt. He returned to the Fergusson Dr shop shortly after and was again told to leave.
The bewildered bystander moves aside, and can be seen leaping out of the way as a staff member flees past him and a bottle appears to fly across the room, bounce off his side and smash on the floor. He narrowly misses catching another punch as the man runs back into the shot, swinging his arm widely.
Footage shows customers and staff scrambling to escape as the incident unfolds.
The alleged attacker is then seen pulling a large bottle out of a fridge before running off camera again.
Police said they were called to the scene just before 6.20pm with a report about a man entering the bottle store in a “disorderly manner” and assaulting two people.
The man was taken into custody and an ambulance was called for him because of an injury to his foot.
Police charged the man with three counts of common assault and have trespassed him from the store.
