Robbers strike man with car during Sandringham robbery

The car hit the man from behind, sending him flying.

A man standing on the footpath outside an Auckland shop was struck from behind by a car full of robbers that mounted the pavement in a minute of madness that was caught on video.

Four offenders made off with cash and cigarettes from the Smart Deal Bazaar in Sandringham on Friday night, despite the best efforts of passers-by who intervened to try and stop the thieves.

Footage from a camera placed outside the store showed two men standing outside just before midnight on Friday June 14, the time the store was set to close.

A grey SUV then careens into the pair, one man desperately taking evasive action as the other is caught unawares, bouncing on to the bonnet and being flung forward as the car comes to a stop.

The car hit the man from behind, sending him flying.

Four offenders then leap from the car and into the shop as the man who was hit miraculously stands up and walks away.

The thieves appear seconds later with armfuls of loot.

But as they attempt to escape, two passers-by are seen running into the frame, hurling items at the thieves and their getaway car.

Two passers-by attempted to intervene in the robbery at Smart Deal Bazaar in Sandringham.

One of the passers-by is seen raining blows down on one offender through the open door of the car before the vehicle leaves the scene.

“The robbers took cigarettes and cash from the shop. It all happened within two minutes,” one of the store’s owners told Indian Weekender.

The owner said it was the third similar incident at the shop, which sits in the busy retail and restaurant area of Sandringham Rd and added they were not sure what injuries were suffered by the man who was hit by the car.

One man was seen swinging at the robbers as they made their getaway.

The NZ Indian Business Association decried the violence in a message posted on social media, asking: “Is this the new normal we are being taught to live with?”

A police spokesperson confirmed they were investigating the incident.

“A vehicle was used to gain entry to a Sandringham Road commercial property, before those in the vehicle – armed with weapons (not firearms) – took items from the store, before fleeing in the vehicle, which was stolen,” police said.

“Police have made area inquiries but have not yet located those involved – further inquiries are under way.”

Chris Marriner is an Auckland-based journalist covering trending news and social media. He joined the Herald in 2003 and previously worked in the Herald’s visual team.