LynnMall robbery: Police investigate after sledgehammer-wielding thief plunders Western Union shop

Police are investigating a dramatic day-time robbery after a man in a balaclava, wielding a sledgehammer, smashed his way into a cash exchange at a West Auckland mall and took a bag load of cash.

Police said they responded to reports of a man carrying a large box with a long-handled sledgehammer inside it near LynnMall on Sunday around 11.30am.

“As he approached the shopping centre, he has pulled a balaclava over his face before using the sledgehammer to smash his way through the side window. Staff inside the store staff sheltered in the rear office,” a police spokesperson said.

Video footage of the brazen heist shows the thief throwing himself onto the counter to reach the till which he then rips out and empties into a bag.

He then runs off from the store as a desperate shop worker phones for help.

The robber hit while the mall was busy.

During the incident, a shopkeeper can be seen at the back corner of the store.

“Thankfully, no one was injured, but police acknowledge the incident was distressing for the workers involved.”

An eye-witness wrote on a Facebook that the robber was chased down by a “nana” until he got to his car and another wrote that he “left in a flash”.

A police spokesperson said the robber fled from the mall to an awaiting car.

The vehicle was then spotted running a red light on Clarke St and was last seen at the intersection of Clarke St and Rankin Ave.

Police are investigating an aggravated robbery at LynnMall. Photo / Alex Burton

“The investigation into this incident in ongoing and Police are asking for anyone who may have dashcam footage of that area between 11.15am-11.45am on Sunday, November 12, to please come forward,” they said.

Information can be given by contacting police on 105 or online, quoting the file number 231112/9230.

Information can also be provided anonymously via Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111.

Caitlan Johnston is a breaking news reporter based in Waikato. She joined the Herald in 2022.