No one CAN mess with me! Dramatic moment brave shopkeeper fights off knife-wielding robber – with a tin of tomatoes
- Abdullah Saleh, 50, fought off a robber in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, on Monday
- The robber threatened him with a knife to his neck before he pushed him out
- The shop has been robbed ‘three or four times before’ according to his son Deen
A father-of-seven fought off a knife-wielding robber and chased him out of a corner shop with a tin of tomatoes.
Abdullah Saleh, 50, was lending a hand to his friend by helping out at his newsagent in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, on Monday.
The robber stormed into the shop as Abdullah was stacking shelves, holding a knife at Abdullah’s neck in footage caught on CCTV.
He then tried to rob the Al Sultan store, screaming ‘give me the f*****g money’ and ‘open the till’ while demanding cigarettes, before he is chased out.
Abdullah Saleh, 50, chases off a knife-wielding robber from a corner shop in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, on Monday
CCTV footage shows the robber holding a knife at Abdullah’s neck before he is chased out
Abdullah told the robber ‘get out of the shop, it’s not happening now’, before shoving him backwards
In the video, Abdullah tells the robber ‘get out of the shop, it’s not happening now’, before shoving him backwards.
He grabs the man by the jacket and hands, pulling him past two aisles and around the side of the till.
Abdullah yanks the thief by the hand and staggers to push him outside the store in Sheffield.
Seconds later, the vandal lunges forward brandishing a large knife and attempting to swipe.
The father, who is a carer for his mother, follows him up the street and lobs a tin of chopped tomatoes at the robber’s head, who escapes by jumping over a fence into a field.
Abdullah’s jacket was slashed and his finger was cut in the exchange as the 50-year-old pushed back the robber
Abdullah’s son Deen, 19, has revealed how he is overjoyed at his quick-thinking behaviour.
‘I’m so proud of my dad for fighting someone off like that’, an emotional Deen said.
‘Now I know he can fight someone off with a knife – which is an amazing feeling.
‘I was so impressed – it all happened in less than 30 minutes. It can take under a minute to be stabbed and my dad managed to control the situation.
‘He grew up in Yemen and learnt how to fight and defend himself.
Yorkshire Ambulance service arrived at the scene and treated Abdullah’s cut finger. He left with a two or three inch cut in his jacket and slashed finger
‘He was in the army which was part of the anti-aircraft warfare effort – where measures were taken to defend a maritime force against attacks by airborne weapons.
‘These could’ve been launched from aircraft, ships, submarines or land-based sites.
‘It’s such a warzone and poverty-stricken, so he was taught to go for it and don’t stand for anything.
‘He learned it from his own dad. So this incident couldn’t have happened to a better person!’
Al Sultan has been robbed ‘three or four times before’ according to Abdullah’s son Deen, 19
The warehouse operative, who is one of six, suggested that his father has finally changed the store’s fate – which is said to have a history of being targeted by yobs.
He went on: ‘It’s been robbed three or four times before. I think they tried using a knife and gun.
‘It’s been going on for years, until my dad said “No I’m not taking this anymore”. He’s volunteered there for about a year.’
Yorkshire Ambulance service arrived at the scene and treated his cut finger. He left with a two or three inch cut in his jacket and slashed finger.
South Yorkshire Police have been approached for comment.