Shopkeeper chases gunman out of his store by hitting him with a stool despite raider firing his pistol twice

This is the terrifying moment a shopkeeper hits an armed gunman with a stool and chases him out of his shop after he fired two warning shots.

Thurairagh Pirabahuran, 41, picked up the chair he had had been sitting on and wielded it at Sheldon Green after he pulled the trigger twice and demanded cash from the till.

But Green, 23, was so shocked by Mr Pirabahuran's actions he fled empty-handed.




Threat: Sheldon Green enters the shop and fires the gun twice before demanding cash



Shocked: The shopkeepers look on as Sheldon Green holds up the shop in front of a terrified customer





Calm: Thurairagh Pirabahuran shows no fear as the gunman demands he hands over cash




The known criminal, who carried out a string of robberies, has been jailed for five years.

Quick-thinking Mr Pirabahuran, a part-owner of Hainault Food and Wine in Hainault, Ilford, Essex, said: 'I didn't want to give him the money so I picked up the stool and hit him with it.'

The Sri Lankan-born father-of-two was working at the store with his business partner Shanmuganathan Umesh.





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They were about the close for the day at 9.30pm on September 17 last year when Green burst in brandishing a gun in front of a terrified female customer.




Ironically, the shopkeepers decided not to pull down the shutters to serve him.

Mr Umesh, 40, said: 'He came to the door and then fired one or two shots at the sky to show the gun was real and told me to go and get the money.

'He had a bag which he gave to me.



No match: As Sheldon Green points the gun at Thurairagh Pirabahuran, the shopkeeper grabs the stool he was sitting on



Take that: Thurairagh Pirabahuran hits the armed raider with the stool he was sitting on

'There was a lady customer and my colleague served her first and then she just ran.'

Mr Umesh said Green approached the counter and told Mr Pirabahuran to hand over money from the till.

Mr Umesh said: 'He told my colleague to give him the money but he didn't, he just grabbed the stool and hit him. He was very brave.'

Green was finally captured when he stole a phone with a special tracking device application from a woman pedestrian in Hackney.




Green was chased on foot which ended with him jumping into a local canal.

Det Sgt Neil Turner, of the Met Police's Barking Flying Squad, said: 'There was a foot chase and then Green jumped into the canal.

'They surrounded him and he quite quickly realised his attempt to swim the canal was futile and gave up.

'Officers surrounded him and fished him out.'

Green was jailed at London's Old Bailey after he admitted nine robbery and firearms charges.

The offender began targeting stores throughout east London and Essex last July in a bid to repay debts to a drug gang, the court heard.


Hero: The brave shopkeeper stands up to the gunman and refuses to hand over the cash


Give up: Green was so shocked by Mr Pirabahuran's actions he fled empty-handed

Green rode a high-powered Yamaha motorbike he stole after it was advertised on community forum website Gumtree.

Terence Woods, defending, told the judge: 'He went on a crime spree which he explained to police was due to his past catching up with him.

'In May last year the individual that he was in debt to called in the debt.

'That was the trigger for all of his offending last year.'

Sentencing him, Judge Rabinder Singh told Green: 'You are, and were, a complete menace to members of the public. You went on a crime rampage. 'Your offending was half-hearted as there was no actual violence used.'