GMP are hunting for a thief, who pressed a knife to the throat of a Blackley shopworker and then injured her as he dragged her to the ground, during a ‘terrifying’ robbery.
The incident occurred at the Co-Op store on Old Market Street at about 3.30pm on Tuesday May 12.
The thief entered the store brandishing a nine-inch knife, before grabbing a frightened member of staff on duty at the time and dragging her to the till area, where he threatened to stab her.
He then pressed the knife to her throat and made further demands for cash, cigarettes and alcohol.
At this point, another member of staff tried to intervene and hit the armed robber with a wine bottle across the head.
The bottle did not smash and although it caused the thief to stumble, he still managed to keep hold of the woman he was holding captive.
After escaping with a small amount of cash and cigarettes, the thief fled towards the old Pike Fold primary school.
Police Constable Richard Pack said: “The woman at the centre of this terrifying robbery has been left extremely upset and shaken up by what happened.
“She also suffered an injury to her knee when she was dragged to the floor.
“To compound things, parents with young children were inside the store at the time and had to witness such a violent and upsetting event.
“This was a nasty, violent attack and we need to identify the culprit as soon as possible to ensure no other innocent members of the public can be targeted.”
The thief is described as being white, in his early 20s, about 5ft 5in tall, of a stocky build and with a rounded face.
He was wearing a black hooded top, light grey jogging trousers and black and white trainers. He had the hood pulled up and was armed with a black handled silver knife.
Police are now appealing to anyone with information to come forward.
“I would therefore urge anyone who has information to come forward,” Constable Pack said.
“The offender may also have sustained a head injury when he was struck with the bottle, so I would urge anyone who has a friend or family member that has recently come home with an unexplained head injury to call us immediately.
“It is also possible to the offender may have returned home covered in either mud or grass from when he escaped so again, if anyone you know came home in that state, please call us.”
Anyone with information is asked to call police on 101 or the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.
