Customers were trapped inside a B&M store in the West Country as hooded vandals ran riot, a witness has said. A shopper has described the moment a group of teenagers in black hoodies began "smashing up" the outside of the St Austell branch on Tuesday (May 9).
Shoppers first realised something was amiss when a "scared woman's voice" made an announcement on the tannoy calling for managers and staff to attend the front of the store. The 22-year-old witness said staff were "terrified"and feared the gang had a knife.
She said the group of teenagers were previously kicked out of the store for damaging items and shouting abuse at staff and "scaring off" customers. "They were breaking the sign and smashing the windows of the store," she told Cornwall Live.
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Devon and Cornwall Police were called to the scene at around 9.40pm. Officers detained three boys, aged 13, 14 and 15 in connection to this matter and later took them home.
The witness said: "I use the store regularly and know people in store who say they're tired of this and are afraid to work evenings some nights due to the store having no security. I got into the store at 9.30pm and about ten minutes into shopping a very scared woman's voice came over the announcement speaker."
She continued: "She was telling managers, assistant managers and basically the biggest bloke there to come to the front of the store because this group of kids had come back after being removed from the store for damaging items, and started shouting abuse, scaring off customers, breaking the sign and smashing windows of the store."
"Due to it being 90 per cent women on the till mainly over 50 that night they were terrified. These women didn't know if they had knives and were going to try and steal out their tills. They didn't know what was going to happen.
"While the manager was on the phone to police a guy called Chris who is just a store worker I believe stood in the doorway defending his co-workers and for me that deserves a massive shout out."
A spokesperson for Devon and Cornwall Police said: "We were called at around 9:40pm on Tuesday 9 May following reports of vandalism and criminal damage taking place at the B&M Bargains Store on Southbourne Road, St Austell. Units attended and localised searches took place. Subsequently, police detained three boys, aged 13, 14 & 15 in connection to this matter.
"All three suspects were later taken home. Matters have been crimed in connection to this incident and will be progressed by the local team in due course." B&M has been contacted for comment.
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