Robber throws pepper in baby's eyes

Police are hunting a robber who threw pepper at a shopkeeper holding his baby during a dairy raid in Dargaville.

Dargaville police said the shopkeeper and his 10-month-old baby daughter received medical treatment after getting pepper in their eyes.

The robber then ripped out the till containing $300 cash and ran out of the shop before being tackled by a customer who managed to wrestle him to the ground.

However, the robber managed to free himself and disappear after Friday's attack.

Sergeant Jonathan Tier said the till was found in the front yard of a nearby property minutes later but the thief was still at large.

He said passersby later told police that they saw several people drinking outside the shop for sometime before the incident occurred.

- NZPA