THE chain smoking 71-year-old convenience store attendant who fought off two young armed robbers has a message for them: please come again.

The Ashfield store attendant wrestled with a bandit in his 40s after he and a younger man tried to steal cash about 8pm Friday night.

Another convenience store across the road, on Alt St, was also robbed at the same time.

Little did these first robbers know, however, they had come across Theo Zagoridis, who grew up on the then-mean streets of Erksineville.

media_camera Forensics officer inside the store. Picture: Gordon McComiskie

media_camera Officers tape off the crime scene. Picture: Gordon McComiskie

“I told him to bugger off. He said ‘I will hurt you I have got a machete’,” Zagoridis said.

“I knew I had to stop him from taking a swing (with the machete) so I grabbed him so he couldn’t swing his arms around.

“His mate came up and pulled him off me and then they bolted.

“It was over in a matter of seconds. As long as I knew he didn’t have room to swing with the machete I knew he could not hurt me.”

Zagoridis described the two as “pussycats” and said growing up he has had more than a few fights.

“We’ve got to keep these blokes off the street. If these guys are reading this, please come back, I would love to see you again,” he said.

media_camera Police outside the store this morning. Picture: Gordon McComiskie

The robbery occurred on Elizabeth St at exactly the same time that another convenience store opposite, on Alt St, was also hit by two other thugs.

The two, in their early 20s, threatened 36-year-old female store attendant Yi Zhang before shooting her in the face with a plastic BB gun.

The shots caused minor injuries.

Unable to open the cash register after forcing their way behind the counter, the two ran out of the store, stealing a bottle of Coca-Cola on their way out.

At least one of the two pairs of robbers escaped on foot by going through a pedestrian railway tunnel at the end of Alt St.

They are believed to have then got in a car and escaped on Liverpool Rd.