Brave Tesco staff tried to thwart two crooks stealing booze as one was shut behind the counter before he fled and was hit by a car.
One customer in the packed shop filmed the shocking moment on her mobile phone.
The two thieves, clad in black, went behind the till and started putting bottles of spirits in a bag.
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One worker said: “Go, go, go.
“Call the police.”
The shopper, who filmed it in a two-minute-and-five-second video, said: “Oh s*it.”
She crouched down behind boxes of beer and carried on recording the crime.”
One of the crooks barged his way out of the Tesco Express, on High Street, Wanstead, east London, yesterday (8 Jul).
But the other stayed behind the glass security screen behind the counter.
A member of the public courageously held the door shut, so he couldn’t get out.
One worker said: “Close the door, close the door.
“Push, push, push, push.”
The security guard shut the front door, but the female customer filming asked: “Can I get out, please?”
But the second crook banged to wriggle out from behind the counter and opened the front door.
A staff member grabbed the holdall, and some of the glass bottles smashed on the ground, as reported on Need To Know.
He and the guard then ran back into the shop as the thief swiped the bag back and fled.
But as shoppers then went outside one man said: “Call an ambulance, he’s just been hit by a car.”
One woman added: “Oh my God!”
Local, Annie Baston said: “Well done Tesco staff.”
James Dobson added: “Security guard did an amazing job.”
Nicholas Wilce echoed this and said: “Security really proving there worth.”
One said: “So much chaos.
“Working in retail is not for the weak.”
Luke added: “Security doing their job correctly.”
Craig joked: “That lady in the queue just standing there waiting to be served, absolute classic.”
The Met Police, London Ambulance Service and Tesco have been approached for comment.
It follows a rise in thefts from shops amid high inflation during the cost-of-living crisis.
In May, thefts were carried out at Greggs in Archway and Boots in Chingford.
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