A retired Australian bouncer foiled a robbery by ramming a shopping cart into the legs of a knife-wielding bandit before bravely pinning him to the ground, cops said Friday.
The 63-year-old then instigated a citizen's arrest on the shocked raider, earning him lavish praise from officers investigating the crime in Geelong, in the southeastern state of Victoria.
The balaclava-clad bandit had entered the Najda Cellars liquor store about 7 p.m. local time Thursday.
He ordered the shop attendant to hand over AU$600 ($584) from the register at knifepoint, it is alleged.
The retiree, meanwhile, watched the robbery unfolding from outside the store. He alerted a 53-year-old man in the store's parking lot and the pair laid in wait behind a nearby shopping cart.
As the suspect, 38, fled the store, police said the pair knocked him to the ground with the cart. The duo then lifted the cart and slammed it on to the bandit's chest as he lay on the ground.
The robber lashed out with his knife, slicing the 63-year-old's arm.
Police were just minutes from the scene when they received a distress call from the store's owner. They arrived soon after and took the alleged robber into custody.
Police investigators commended the "outstanding bravery" of the two men. "We can't thank the people involved enough," one officer said.
Read more: Geelongadvertiser.com.au
