Armed robber strikesBy Epping GuardianA NORTH Weald shopkeeper has told how he grappled with a masked raider who held a gun to his head and demanded money. The gun-wielding youth, thought to be aged about 16 and with a stocking mask over his head, struck at the News Shop in the High Road at about 6.10am on Saturday. He shouted at the shopkeeper to open the safe and demanded money from the till. The shop worker and a member of the public struggled with the youth before he dropped the gun and ran off. The shopkeeper, who does not want to be named, told the Guardian: "I was just busy putting the magazines inside the papers and he came in through the door, put the gun against my head and demanded that I open the safe. "I told him we haven't got a safe. He got quite abusive. He marched me over to the till and while I was pressing the buttons he started to go through my pockets and I just made a grab for the gun and we ended up wrestling on the floor." The shop worker called out to a paper boy to call the police and at that moment a customer came into the shop. "He grappled with him again and we got him outside the shop. He said 'okay, I give up, I give up' and as we relaxed our grips on him he ran off." Police later told the shopworker that the black handgun fired plastic pellets. "One of the policemen said that if you got hit by it from close range it could do you quite a bit of damage." When asked whether he felt he had put himself in danger by tackling the raider, the shopkeeper told the Guardian: "I didn't think about it at the time. I'm just annoyed he got away." No shots were fired. The shop worker sustained a cut to his hand and a bruise to his head. The raider was about 5ft 8ins tall, and thought to have dark hair. He wore a black leather jacket, blue jeans, dark brown suede shoes and a black cap which fell off in the struggle. Anyone with any information should ring Detective Constable Eddie Priestley at Waltham Abbey CID on 01992 652800 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. Callers, who are given a unique reference code, do not have to give their name and may qualify for a cash reward. 12:11 Thursday 8th August 2002
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