Staff at an Aldi supermarket in Ruislip, west London, were forced to defend themselves with belts as a gang of teenagers tried to smash their way into the store with a fire extinguisher. The incident, which occurred on Monday evening, left two workers injured, one with a broken nose and another with a broken cheekbone.
Eyewitness Ross Scott, 28, said the group of eight to ten youths, aged between 13 and 15, initially entered the shop and attacked a staff member before being forced out. They then returned and used a fire extinguisher to break through the glass doors. Scott described the youths as 'like animals' and noted they were wearing school uniform under hoodies and tracksuit bottoms.
Scott, a former security worker, suspects the attack was premeditated because the boys targeted a specific employee. He provided first aid to a worker whose nose was 'clearly broken' after being struck with the extinguisher. Another worker was punched and suffered a broken cheekbone.
The incident was reported to police at 6pm, but officers arrived 20 minutes later, by which time the attackers had fled. Scott criticised the response time, saying it should not take that long for police to respond to a major incident in a supermarket. Police stated there were no reports of serious injuries and are continuing to investigate.
An Aldi spokesperson declined to comment, citing an ongoing police investigation. The supermarket chain has not provided further details.
