Would-be chip shop thief armed with hammer battered by shovel-wielding worker

A masked would-be chip shop thief carrying a hammer as a weapon got an unexpected shock when staff fought back with a shovel. Two masked men pulled up on a motorbike to Gio’s chipper in Kingswood shopping centre in Tallaght, Dublin, Ireland, shortly before midnight last Sunday.

One stayed on the bike while the other entered the premises armed with a hammer and attempted to steal money from the till. Manager of Gio’s, Paolo Soaze, said that there were two girls at the front of the shop when it happened. “Two guys pulled up in a motorbike with balaclavas on and their hoods up. One stayed on the bike and one came into the shop.



“He came in and smacked the counter with the hammer demanding money. He was screaming ‘Come on, come on’ and he jumped over the counter. One of the girls screamed to the men who were down the back.” Two male workers were at the back of the chip shop scraping the freezer with a shovel.

“One of the men heard the screams and ran in with the shovel. As soon as [the robber] saw the shovel he took a step back and his whole body language changed. He hit him on the shoulder with the shovel and the thief ran off" Paolo said they called the gardai who are now investigating the incident.