A supermarket worker today told how a knife-wielding robber yelled “I will kill you”, before ransacking the store.
The hooded raider burst into the Islington branch of Budgens as the last two staff members were locking up and threatened them with a carving knife.
CCTV footage of the attack shows him stealing £1,000 from three tills before returning to take bottles of alcohol.
A 35-year-old worker said: “He knew there were just two of us left, he’d been waiting. He was a big guy and pushed his way in through the door. He had a huge knife and forced us back into the shop. I was face to face with him and he was shouting at us: ‘I will kill you.’
“I had to get on the ground. I seriously thought I was going to die. I stayed quiet because I didn’t want to make him mad. After that I escaped. I ran to the high street and called police.”
The other staff member, 21, said: “I ran away as he came in. I found my way to the bathroom and locked the door. I must have been in there 20 minutes but it felt longer. He was angry and shouting at me, ‘Where’s your friend?’ through the door. I was just keeping as quiet as possible. It was the scariest moment of my life. Every time I come back into work that memory is still there.”
The robbery, at the Packington Square store, took place at 11pm on December 11. The suspect was white, in his twenties, about 5ft 10in tall and had a black bag. Police believe he may have had an accomplice acting as a lookout.
Anyone with information should call Islington CID on 101, ring Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111 or visit crimestoppers-uk.org
