Have a go-hero shoppers managed tackle a raider and stop him escaping after a gang robbed a shop in Ashby last night, Thursday, July 13.
The break-in happened just after 10pm when police say a number of men went into a shop in Market Street, threatening staff and demanding cash. They said members of the public who were in the shop at the time managed to restrain one of the men, while the others fled in a getaway car waiting outside.
Officers from Leicestershire Police went to the scene, and as the suspect was being arrested he took ill and had to be taken to Queen's Medical Centre in Nottingham, where his condition has today been described as critical.
The area around the shop was cordoned off this morning, as officers carry out a forensic examination of the scene.
This the second raid in the town centre this week. On Monday, July 10, thieves used a digger to steal a cash machine from the Nationwide bank in the early morning raid.
On social media, a witness to the shop robbery, who told how they were at the scene, said: "Two guys in an Audi tried to rob the shop. One guy armed with a golf club got everything money-wise from the shop, but members of the public stopped him and restrained him for 30 minutes until the police came.
"The other guy mounted the pavement in an attempt to get the members of the public off of his mate."
This has not yet been confirmed by police.
In a statement, East Midlands Ambulance Service said: "We received a call at 10.09pm on July 13 from Leicestershire Police requesting medical assistance at the Co-Op in Market Street, Ashby. We sent two paramedics in ambulance cars, a crewed ambulance and the air ambulance, and one patient was taken to Queen's Medical Centre by land ambulance."
A spokesperson from Central England Co-operative told our sister title the Leicester Mercury: "We can confirm that an attempted armed robbery took place (Thursday 13th July) at our Ashby store.
"The members of staff on duty are unharmed, but they are obviously shaken by the incident and our primary concern is their safety and wellbeing. We are giving our full support to the Police while they investigate this matter."
Anyone with information is asked to contact 101, quoting incident number 773 of July 13.
