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This is the moment that a shopkeeper fends off an armed robber by throwing chilli powder in his face.

The thief, who threatened the shop worker with a knife, targeted A1 Convenience store in Kingstanding, Birmingham, shortly before 10.30pm on Saturday night. CCTV shows the offender, dressed head-to-toe in black with a balaclava across his face, brandishing a large blade as he demands cash from the manager.

But the shopkeeper can be seen reaching beneath the counter before lobbing a handful of chilli powder in his face. The stunned man stumbles back as he is engulfed in an orange cloud of the chilli powder and dashes from the store in a panic.



The store owner, who wishes to remain anonymous, has released the footage in a bid to highlight the crime but has not reported the matter to police. As a result, West Midlands Police have declined to comment on the incident.


A shopkeeper threw a cloud of chilli powder over the would-be armed robber (Picture: SWNS)

The robber struck at the store in Birmingham on Saturday night (Picture: SWNS)

He fled the scene with nothing but a pair of sore eyes (Picture: SWNS)

The shopkeeper keeps a tub of chilli powder under his counter to defend himself (Picture: SWNS)

The incident has not been reported to police(Picture: SWNS)

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