Trio raid pub with machete, samurai sword in terrifying hold-up
A $5000 reward is being offered in the hunt for three masked thieves who terrorised workers with a machete and samurai sword, holding a giant blade to a young woman’s neck.
CCTV shows the masked men bundled into the back room of a mid-north coast NSW tavern, menacing the young employee with a samurai sword as they raided the day’s takings.
The fear on the face of the young worker is plain to see, where one flinch could have been fatal.
Wauchope’s Bago Tavern was shut, but the back door was unlocked when the three men came in wielding a samurai sword, machete and a wooden club, just before 9pm on Sunday.
The group rifled through the registers and safe, looking for the day’s takings.
“[The thieves] put the machetes on our necks and were yelling at us to get down,” bartender Jake Parker told 7 News.
“We were just frozen. [They] tore one of the girl’s earrings out and [they were] really rough, dragging them around pulling their hair and yelling at them.”
Having taken cash, the men then stole the workers’ mobile phones and took off.
“We’re just lucky that we’re all OK, that’s all… No-one was injured,” licensee Paul Dodd said.
The workers escaped physically unharmed, but the incident will no doubt be hard to erase from their minds.
On Monday morning, police were looking for clues.
Wauchope is a small town and Mr Dodd is hoping a reward will help police find those responsible.
“Hopefully, they’re bragging to one of their friends or something, and they come forward to dob them in,” he said.
Anyone with information is encouraged to call Crime Stoppers 1800 333 000 or use the Crime Stoppers online reporting page.
