Canada
Store hit by flash mob robbed again

Tahi Mahmood was behind the counter of the Quickie at 255 Parkdale Ave. when a pair of knife-wielding robbers held the store up. It's the second robbery in two months at the same location and employees are on edge.

Credits: (LARISSA CAHUTE/OTTAWA SUN/QMI AGENCY)

LARISSA CAHUTE | QMI AGENCY

OTTAWA - Two robberies in two months have some Parkdale Ave. Quickie workers fearing for their safety.

"I was really scared," said Tahi Mahmood, victim of the store's second robbery that took place late Thursday night. "After I looked at the knife in his hand ... I was thinking that was the last day of my life."

Surveillance video shows two masked men running into the store at the 255 Parkdale brandishing knives. One went behind the counter and pointed his knife at Mahmood.

"He came in behind the counter and I was standing in front of the cash register," he said. "He comes with the knife towards me and I was thinking that he'd kill me."

He said the knife was about 12 inches long.

Mahmood was closing the cash register, so he had nearly $1,500 in his hands. He gave the robber the money and hopped over the counter.

But the other thief approached him from the aisles and told him to put his hands up, so Mahmood obeyed.

Once the first robber collected what he could from behind the cash, he came back out, grabbed Mahmood by the back of the head, threw him to the ground and kicked him.

The two men fled on foot.

The first robbery on July 16 was what police call a "flash robbery" -- 43 thieves swarmed the store. Police haven't identified any suspects despite video footage of the mob.

Store owner, Mohammed Ajmal said something must be done.

"If we don't catch 43 thugs -- we will have more (robberies)," he said.

According to Ajmal, one week after the flash robbery, one of the store windows was smashed in.

He said convenience stores are one of the least protected businesses open 24 hours.

"In our case we have one man working at night," he said. "It's no comparison to larger stores (like WalMart and Metro.)"

But hiring a security guard wouldn't help the situation and only be an extra cost for the store, he said.

His suggestion was resorting to a drive-thru at night.

Quickie's head office said they're reviewing internal security policies.

Police are still looking for the two men involved in Thursday night's robbery. They're described as black, wearing dark clothing and hoodies with their faces covered.

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