Staff members at Levin’s Mitre 10 were injured in an assault yesterday. Photo / Google Maps
Five staff members of a North Island Mitre 10 store were assaulted yesterday after confronting a customer allegedly shoplifting.
The incident began at 2.45pm when a staff member of Mitre 10 Levin spotted a woman believed to be stealing a product from the store.
The store’s general manager, Emma van Echten, said when the woman was approached by the staff member and asked to return the item to the shelf, she reacted angrily.
Other staff members came to help their colleague but were allegedly set upon by two further members of the public, she said.
The three people were persuaded to leave the store and the police were called, she said.
Van Echten was thankful none of the staff involved needed hospitalisation, but the incident has left the whole team shaken.
“The safety and wellbeing of our team is always our top priority.
“Our team are shaken and still shocked by this unprovoked incident, and we are focusing on supporting our entire team.”
The store was closed shortly after the incident but reopened today. Additional security is in place 24/7 for the time being, van Echten said.
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Police confirmed they were dispatched to the store after “an altercation between a small group of people and another person in the store” shortly before 3pm on Friday.
“The group left the area in a vehicle,” police said.
A spokesperson said no injuries were reported, and called on anyone with information to contact them.
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