CCTV has captured the moment a shop owner locks in a machete-carrying man, who tries to steal cigarettes from his takeaway shop in Hobart.
The man, with a covered face and dressed in dark-coloured clothes, enters the Hawthorn Drive store in Kingston at 6:15pm on Sunday.
Daisy Huang, who runs the store with her husband, said she was terrified when she saw him enter, armed with a machete.
Man threatens shop owner with machete
"He's saying, 'I'm robbing this shop, give me the money'," she recalled.
"I was shocked at that time."
The man then hits the counter with the machete, which makes the security alarm go off
When he starts making his way behind the counter, Ms Huang and her husband steal a moment to run out of the store.
Thief drops bag, hits head
The man drops his bag and hits his head on the cupboard door before starting to stuff his pants with cigarettes.
Shop owner sneakily goes back for keys and locks door
Moments later, Ms Huang's husband enters the store and grabs the keys while the thief is distracted.
"He was focusing on grabbing the ciggies and tobaccos, and he didn't notice my husband come back and grab the key from inside," Ms Huang said.
"We locked that door."
Thief realises he's locked in
The robber notices the door has been locked and starts smacking the glass with his machete, and even kicking it.
Eventually, he makes a hole big enough to escape.
"He noticed that we locked him in and he just smashed the window and ran away finally," Ms Huang said.
"I was totally black in my mind, in my brain."
Tasmania Police detective inspector Michael Smith said the man is believed to have taken up to 20 ounces of tobacco, but no money, from the store.
It is estimated the damage bill is around $1,000.
Detective Inspector Smith said the man had been seen by a witness near a store in Moonah, Hobart's north.
"We're seeking information from the members of the public who may have seen this person around the Moonah area or around the Kingston area," he said.
