Thugs demand cash

The Coronation Street Post Shop. Photo / Doug Sherring

Two robbers wielding a gun and machete held up an Auckland post shop, yelling: "We want money, give us money."

The robbers confronted Mangere Bridge Post Shop owner Joe Matthews as he stood outside his business chatting to a friend at 5.10pm on Friday.

Matthews said the men got out of a car at a nearby pedestrian crossing, with their faces covered with scarves, and walked up to him.

"The gun was covered by a tea towel type thing," Matthews said. "Then they asked us 'Get inside, get inside' ... one of them shouted 'We want money, give us money'."

They pushed his friend to the ground before jumping on the counter yelling, "Give the money, give the money".

Wife Mary Matthews handed over almost $2000 from the cash register while hiding behind the counter.

"It was scary because they had weapons. One had a machete and one had the gun, so they were pointing them at us," she said.

Joe Matthews' friend was taken to hospital with minor injuries.

Mary Matthews said her husband was recovering from bypass surgery and he had a weak heart.

But she said he remained calm during the armed robbery because of previous training.

"We were all trained for these things so if anything happens we know to just give all the money, so that's what we did. He [Joe] was very calm."

The couple had owned the business for seven years but had been trying to sell it for about 12 months.

The shop is close to the ASB Bank branch where worker John Vaughan was shot dead in 2002. Retailers in the area spoke yesterday of how the Post Shop robbery had brought back memories of the fatal assault.

Gunman Ese Falealii was sent to life in prison for murdering Vaughan and pizza shop worker Marcus Doig. Three other men were convicted for their roles in the killings.

Police said the men from Friday's robbery fled the area in a silver Subaru Legacy which was later found in Kirkbride Rd. They were still investigating the incident.

The shop was closed yesterday with a sign on the door that read: "Due to a serious incident this Postshop is temporarily closed."