Employees at a supermarket in Deer Park, Melbourne, are demanding enhanced security measures following a violent incident captured on camera, where staff attempted to thwart a group of assailants. The confrontation occurred around 7:20 pm on New Year’s Eve at a local IGA store.
According to police reports, the trouble began when a staff member, Muhammad Hassan, spotted an individual attempting to steal a carton of beer. Hassan pursued the suspect out of the store, only to be confronted by approximately six men, some wielding metal poles, emerging from a vehicle nearby.
A rapid escalation led to a physical altercation, with CCTV footage, later broadcast by 7News, showing Hassan being repeatedly struck on the head.
The assailants then stormed the supermarket, wreaking havoc by knocking down shelves and scattering merchandise across the floor. During the chaos, the group also seized various alcoholic beverages.
Remarkably, Hassan escaped the ordeal without needing hospital treatment. Hitesh Palta, Hassan’s uncle and the owner of the IGA, expressed his distress over the incident, noting that it wasn’t the first attack on his store. In response to previous incidents, the store had already fitted CCTV cameras and installed panic buttons.
Palta has made urgent appeals to the authorities for increased support to safeguard business owners striving to maintain reputable operations.
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