An armed robber has been hospitalised after a Birmingham jeweller fought back during a raid on his shop.
The 23-year-old from Sparkhill needed emergency surgery for a head injury after possibly being hit with a jewellery tray.
He was recovering under police guard in hospital yesterday.
Three brothers grappled with up to five masked robbers who were wielding axes and hammers in Yousaf Jewellers, in Small Heath on Monday.
Terrified customers – including a young boy aged about five – cowered in terror as the thugs smashed display cabinets containing valuable Asian gold jewellery.
A second man, aged 19 and from Small Heath, was arrested at the scene after being trapped inside the store by the shop’s electric shutters.
At least three other men escaped with thousands of pounds worth of jewellery and a city-wide manhunt is under way to find them.
Detectives said the shopkeepers were acting in self-defence.
One of them, who asked not to be named, said: “It was very frightening. They broke the glass of the front door and came running in threatening us with axes and hammers. We were worried about the customers and were just trying to do whatever we could to stop them. This is our business, they can’t just come in here and take what they want. We were trying to make a stand.”
The incident happened at the Coventry Road store at 4.40pm on Monday.
Some of the gang escaped in a Vauxhall Vectra, registration number R893 VHE, driven by another man.
The getaway car, which has no registered owner, was later found dumped in nearby Oldknow Road.
Det Insp Simon Vowles, from Stechford CID, said: “We need to trace these three men and I appeal to those who know them to give us their names.”
