Police have praised a hero shop assistant who tackled a gun-wielding robber half his age before throwing him out of the store.
Dramatic footage shows 61-year-old Niall Stranix mopping the floor of the One Stop branch in Leeds, West Yorkshire, as Marlon Stewart swaggers in with a bottle of vodka in one hand and an imitation firearm in the other.
After Stewart begins terrorising a woman behind the counter, Mr Stranix pounces on him and puts him in a headlock as he thrashes around trying to break free.
During the struggle, 37-year-old Stewart’s mask slipped and his face was revealed to the shop’s CCTV cameras, which led to his arrest.
As the two men tussle between the doorway and the aisles, Mr Stranix, 61, tries to grab the pistol before Stewart strikes him on the head with the vodka bottle.
Dramatic footage shows 61-year-old Niall Stranix mopping the floor of the One Stop branch in Leeds, West Yorkshire, as Marlon Stewart swaggers in with a bottle of vodka in one hand and an imitation firearm in the other
Stewart holds up his gun at an assistant behind the counter and demands cash
To Mr Stranix’s surprise the pistol – believed to be a plastic BB gun – began to fall apart during the struggle and Stewart eventually ran out the shop doorway empty handed before jumping a hijacked white Audi A1
Stewart committed 13 crimes in 20 minutes on the evening of July 19 last year – after buying a bottle of vodka at a corner shop near Chapel Allerton Park.
He went into the park and terrorised three 19-year-old men, robbing two of them of their mobile phones after showing them a handgun in his waistband.
At 8.06pm, a masked Stewart burst into the Premier shop, in Lidgett Lane, and ordered the young man behind the counter to open the till at gunpoint.
When a woman customer came in. Stewart demanded her car keys. The staff member slipped out. Stewart grabbed the cash and fled in the woman’s Audi.
Minutes later, Stewart struck again, this time at the One Stop store, in nearby Chandos Gardens.
Again, with his face masked and pointing the pistol, he terrified the woman member of staff behind the counter.
Mr Stranix pounces on Stewart and puts him in a headlock as he thrashes around trying to break free before hitting him with the bottle. At this point the thug’s face was exposed to the cameras
To Mr Stranix’s surprise the pistol – believed to be a plastic BB gun – began to fall apart during the struggle
While he was angrily making demands for money, Mr Stranix, who had been mopping the floor, had seen enough and decided to intervene.
The stolen Audi was reported by members of the public being driven dangerously in Roundhay Road a short time later.
It hit a barrier and was seen swerving in and out of traffic and running red lights.
The Chapel Allerton Park robbery victims raised the alarm shortly before 9pm. Stewart was quickly identified and finally hunted down on September 29.
He was charged with four counts of robbery, one of attempted robbery; five counts of possession of a firearm while committing a robbery, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, driving while disqualified and driving without insurance.
Stewart pleaded at Leeds Crown Court and was today given an extended sentence of ten years and four months custody with an extended licence period of five years.
Stewart ran out the shop doorway empty handed before jumping a hijacked white Audi A1
Detective Inspector Ryan Malyk said: ‘Stewart put all these victims through some really frightening experiences when he carried out these robberies over a very short space of time.
‘He was clearly desperate and dangerous, and those who encountered him were put in genuine fear when he confronted them at gunpoint.
‘While we always advise members of the public in such situations to think of their safety first, we must recognise the incredible bravery that Niall Stranix showed in making the decision to tackle him while he was threatening his female colleague.
‘Despite not knowing if the gun he was holding was real or not, he showed tremendous courage in taking him on and it was his actions that directly led to Stewart’s face being captured on CCTV and him being identified as the suspect.
‘We hope that the significant prison sentence that Stewart has received will provide some comfort to all the victims as well as some reassurance to the wider community to know that he is safely off the streets.’
Stewart pleaded at Leeds Crown Court and was today given an extended sentence of ten years and four months custody with an extended licence period of five years
