A man is on the run after a staff member was bashed during a violent robbery at a Doonside service station last night.
Police are hunting for a man aged between 25 and 30 years of age after he smashed a window with a large stone and stormed the Metro Petroleum on Hill End Rd at about 9pm on Monday.
He confronted the 26-year-old male employee, punching him and pushing him to the floor, before fleeing with cigarettes.
A female staff member, who did not wish to be identified, said the thief broke in through the smashed window and panicked, leaving his phone behind before fleeing and returning a second time.
Upon his return, he assaulted the employee, dragging him along broken glass on the ground. He fled with up to 10 packets of cigarettes and made no attempt to access the till.
The employee suffered a large cut to his head and was treated at Blacktown Hospital. He has since been released and is recovering from his injuries.
She said the man was a regular customer and had visited the service station with two other men earlier that afternoon to make a purchase.
“He definitely is a local, that is the worst part,” she said.
“This is a breach of trust. We are here to serve you and we need to have our safety.”
Police have described the man as Pacific Islander/Maori in appearance with a medium build and wearing a black t-shirt with grey and black track pants.
The Hill End Rd service station has been robbed three times in the past five years. Picture: Supplied
She said security had been an ongoing concern for the business, which has been the target of three robberies in the past five years.
The scare of last night’s robbery has led the business to bring it’s closing time forward an hour, to 9pm.
“I think there should be increased police rounds in this area after 8pm to ensure businesses are safe.
“(The employee) will remember this for a long time. He has never been bashed in his life and his children will remember seeing his face all bruised.
“For 10 packets of smokes, is it worth it?”
Police are urging anyone who may have information that could assist to contact detectives from Blacktown Police Area Command or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
Extracted from Daily Telegraph