Father tells of his 40 seconds of terror as he fought off masked knife-wielding raider who was trying to rob his shop 

  • CCTV footage captured moment shopkeeper grappled with armed raider 
  • Mohammad Ali Akhtar was stabbed as he tackled the knife-wielding robber
  • Hooded thief targeted the Premier Stores shop in Flixton, Manchester 
  • Teenage thug escaped empty handed after being chased out of store 

By Sam Matthew and Lydia Willgress for MailOnline

Published: | Updated:

A father-of-three who was attacked by a knife-wielding robber has revealed he thought he was going to die in the 40-second assault.

Mohammad Ali Akhtar was only on his second shift at the Premier Stores in Flixton, Greater Manchester, when the man stormed in brandishing a large kitchen knife and demanded all the money from the till.

CCTV footage shows the hooded thief vault the counter around 8.45pm on Tuesday before wrestling with the brave cashier, who refused his demands.

Scroll down for video 

Mohammad Ali Akhtar was attacked by a knife-wielding robber at the Premier Stores in Flixton, Greater Manchester, and has revealed he thought he was going to die in the 40-second assault
He was only on his second shift when the man stormed in brandishing a large kitchen knife and demanded all the money from the till

Mohammad Ali Akhtar, pictured (left) just after the assault, was attacked by a knife-wielding robber at the Premier Stores in Flixton, Greater Manchester, and has revealed he thought he was going to die

Mr Akhtar, who had to have 14 stitches in his ear and surgery on his hand after the attack, said: 'A man came in with a mask over his face. 

'I started to tell him to take his mask off but before I could even complete what I was saying, he took the knife out of his sleeve and was said, "give me the cash".

'In the first second I didn't know what I should do, but then I thought, "well I've just got to tackle him".' 

At one point in the footage the pair can both be seen grappling over the knife before the shopkeeper was stabbed. 

This is the moment that a shopkeeper bravely tackled a knife-wielding raider who stormed into his store

This is the moment that a shopkeeper bravely tackled a knife-wielding raider who stormed into his store

Mr Akhtar said: 'In those few seconds of my life I thought I would die and I could see the knife waving around in front of my face as I was tackling him to the floor.

'I was just thinking of my wife and my children and what would happen if I wasn't here for them anymore, then I felt the sharp stabs to my ear, nose and finger.'

The thief eventually managed to stagger to his feet and flee the shop empty-handed, pursued by the shopkeeper. 

The cashier later told police that the raider was white, between 16 to 18-years-old and was wearing black clothing.

He added that he feels scared when he walks into his family kitchen and sees a knife.   

The raider, wearing dark coloured clothing, stormed into Premier Stores in Flixton, Manchester

The raider, wearing dark coloured clothing, stormed into Premier Stores in Flixton, Manchester

The robber, armed with a large kitchen knife, leapt over the counter after demanding all the money from the till

The robber, armed with a large kitchen knife, leapt over the counter after demanding all the money from the till

'I can't sleep and keep re-playing it in my head and I'm always checking on the children in the night,' he said.  

Detective Constable Andrew Warren said: 'First of all, I would like to commend the bravery of the victim, who despite suffering a stab wound still managed to fight off his attacker and ensure he ran away with nothing.

'However, this attack shows just how important it is that we identify this offender as soon as possible, as he was willing to resort to potentially lethal force for the sake of a few pounds.

'I would like to ask people to have a good look at the footage.

'I know his face is covered but if there is anything about his clothes, the way he walks or anything that you think you recognise, please contact police.'

The pair exchanged blows as they fought behind the counter of the convenience store

The pair exchanged blows as they fought behind the counter of the convenience store

The shopkeeper was stabbed in the ear and hand before the raider managed to get to his feet and flee empty-handed

The shopkeeper was stabbed in the ear and hand before the raider managed to get to his feet and flee empty-handed

The knife wounds did not stop the brave shopkeeper trying to pursue his attacker 

The knife wounds did not stop the brave shopkeeper trying to pursue his attacker 

Most watched News videos