Croydon Tesco axe attack: Terrifying video of moment man chased shoppers waving weapon

A video has proven the moment an axe-wielding man chased after panicked shoppers and employees at a Tesco in South London.

Danhi Smith, 27, left shoppers “operating for his or her lives” as he waved an axe above his head on the retailer in Purley on January 22, 2019.

He hacked away at a money machine outdoors the grocery store, earlier than making his means inside and repeatedly placing self-checkout machines, inflicting 1000’s of kilos value of harm within the course of.

CCTV from inside the shop then reveals Smith operating in the direction of the again of the shop, the place a quantity of frightened shoppers and employees could be seen desperately making an attempt to flee the grocery store.

Smith, who wore a shawl over the decrease half of his face, then triggered greater than £10,000 of harm to a lorry parked on the rear of the shop.

Terrified shoppers attempt to escape the axe-wielding Smith

He was sentenced to 2 years and two months in jail at Croydon Crown Court on Thursday (March 25).

The 27-year-old, of Frederick Street in Sittingbourne, Kent, had earlier pleaded responsible to offences of affray, legal harm and possession of an offensive weapon.

Judge Mr Recorder Andrew Burns QC informed the courtroom that Smith’s behaviour was “excessive, extreme and unpredictable”.

Read More
Read More

Passing sentence, he added: “You had an axe and coated your decrease face with a shawl and shoppers should have been terrified. Events took a flip for the more serious as you went into the shop and adopted a quantity of youngsters and their mother and father and smashed self-checkout machines with an axe.

“People had been naturally panicked. You ran to the again of the shop the place there have been terrified clients. You ran after them with you axe raised above your head in a fashion that may solely be described as extraordinarily threatening.

“They fled like they had been operating for his or her lives. Unfortunately, a client fell and injured herself. You completed your rampage by hitting a lorry. This was a terrifying incident. It makes folks really feel unsafe to exit in public. Your behaviour was excessive, extreme and unpredictable.”

Do you reckon any of the other Londons can compare with our stunning capital city?

Here at MyLondon, we’re doing our best possible to be sure you get the most recent information, critiques and options out of your space.

Now there is a means you’ll be able to preserve updated with the areas that matter to you with our free e mail newsletters.

We have seven newsletters you’ll be able to at present join – together with a special one for every space of London and one devoted completely to EastEnders.

The native newsletters exit twice a day and ship the most recent tales straight to your inbox.

From neighborhood tales and information protecting each borough of London to celeb and way of life tales, we’ll be sure you get the easiest on daily basis.

To signal as much as any of our newsletters, merely comply with this hyperlink and choose the publication that is best for you.

And to actually customise your information expertise on the go, you’ll be able to obtain our top-rated free apps for iPhone and Android. Find out extra right here.

He acquired 26 months for the offence of possession of a bladed article, 22 months for affray and 14 months for legal harm, every to be served concurrently.

The courtroom additionally heard that he had 27 earlier convictions for 59 offences, however that almost all of these had taken place when he was a juvenile.

In mitigation, the courtroom was additionally informed Smith had “psychological points” and had “gone off the rails” after his companion’s baby had died, inflicting their relationship to interrupt down. He additionally pleaded responsible “on the first sensible alternative”.

Recommended For You