A Massachusetts store owner grabbed a broomstick — then a display rack — and rang up a much-deserved beatdown to a knife-wielding, would-be robber.
Store security cameras captured Friday night’s fearsome confrontation as two punks, their faces covered, came into St. Elias Mini Market in New Bedford and got a lot more than they bargained for.
Store owner Nicholas Dawoud and wife Clotilde had been recently robbed and they weren’t going to take it anymore. The hubby began wildly swinging a thick broom handle, and one of the gutless thugs turned yellow and high-tailed it out of the store – leaving his accomplice behind.
The cowardly robber even picked up a tin can of cookies and tried using that as a shield.
When Dawoud dropped the broom handle, he picked up a huge metal store display rack and kept the beating going, as wife Clotilde locked the door to make sure the thug couldn’t escape.
“I defend my life, I defend my wife, my business,” Dawoud told WJAR-TV. “Bad day for them [the robbers].”
Customers and employees at neighboring stores heard the commotion, broke through the door and helped Dawoud subdue the suspect until cops showed up.
“He’s [Dawoud] a good guy, he’s older, [we’re] just not going to let it happen,” said Phil Hansen, who was part of the impromptu posse.
Another Good Samaritan, Edwin Dominguez, said he was also happy to help.
“I thank God that we did do it because if we didn’t who knows where the owner and his wife would have been,” Dominguez said.