A SHOCKING video has captured the harrowing moment an elderly shopkeeper is violently attacked by a till-robbing thug.
The incident was caught on CCTV at a newsagent on Sholebroke Mount in Leeds, West Yorkshire at around 7:30am on Wednesday.
The robber is seen storming into the shop and viciously battering the old man with what appears to be a metal pipe before proceeding to fill a binbag with cigarettes and cash and making his escape.
The video shows the elderly shopkeeper ambling by the counter reading a newspaper as a silhouette is seen passing the window.
Mere moments later, a masked man bursts through the door, wearing grey tracksuit bottoms, a black hooded top and yellow gloves.
He strides up to the counter as he brandishes what appears to be a crowbar or a metal pipe, pointing it at the shopkeeper and attempting to step up onto the countertop.
However, the brave shopkeeper immediately fights back, grabbing hold of the weapon and causing the attacker to lose his footing.
The two wrestle for control of the weapon, with the robber having to put a tremendous amount of effort into yanking the pipe out of the clutches of the heroic old man.
Eventually the shopkeeper loses his grip of the weapon, and the robber sets about attacking him as the old man holds his hands up to try and ward off the blows.
The vile thug manages to strike the shopkeeper in the head though, and he falls to the ground before the coward proceeds to viciously hit him four more times.
The shopkeeper falls out of sight of the camera and appears to be knocked out, allowing the robber to hurdle the countertop.
He then pulls a binbag out of his pocket and begins emptying packets of cigarettes into it.
A woman can briefly be seen entering the shop, with the robber unaware of her presence, before she appears to realise what has happened and promptly ducks out again.
The unidentified attacker then yanks the till drawer open and pulls a wad of notes out, stuffing them into the bag as well before seemingly making his getaway.
The footage was posted to social media along with photos of the injured shopkeeper yesterday (THUR) with the caption: “Almost at pension age shopkeeper attacked by a cowardly p***k – asked to share to try and catch culprit.”
The clip has since received over 400 likes and comments from users concerned for the wellbeing of the elderly shopkeeper.
One user said: “This is sickening. I still remember the Huddersfield retailer Gurmail Singh and a father of two who was killed by cowards and empty heads.”
Another added: “What a coward, hope that guy is caught and the shopkeeper makes a full recovery.”
A third wrote: “Need to start bringing tougher laws for these criminals. Proper cowards. Country is too soft. Time to take back the streets.”
A fourth commented: “Poor guy’s just trying to earn a living. Hopefully he’s on the mend.”
A West Yorkshire Police spokesperson today said: “Police are appealing for information following a robbery at a newsagents shop in Leeds [on Wednesday] which left a shop worker seriously injured.
“Police received reports of a robbery at Sholebroke News, on Sholebroke Mount, at 7:35am yesterday.
“The male suspect threatened the member of staff with a weapon, believed to be a crowbar or similar, before attacking him.
“The male victim was taken to hospital with serious head injuries.”
Detective Inspector Dan Ridgway of Leeds CID added: “This was a particularly violent attack on a shop worker who was going about his daily work.
“I would urge anyone who may have seen the incident or who may have information about it to come forward.”
