Watch: Hastings dairy owner who took on a gunman ‘twice his size’ and won

An elderly Hastings dairy worker who fought back against a gunman trying to steal her with a baseball bat says the local Camberley community is keeping her safe.

Police were called in for the attempted armed robbery at Kiwi Street Foodmarket on Kiwi St, Camberley, around 11:29 am on Thursday.

Co-owner Daksha Patel chased away the would-be thief after the burly, armed man entered the store dressed in black and with his face covered, demanding money.

After placing a bag on the counter and telling the store worker to fill it with cash and cigarettes, he revealed a large pistol under a towel.

The 67-year-old man said the offender pushed some jars of candy to the ground in frustration at Patel’s lack of response when pointing the gun at him.

“He threw the bag on the counter and said ‘give me the money,’ but I didn’t do anything,” he said.

“When I saw the gun, I was definitely scared, but I knew I couldn’t get out or get out from behind the counter.

“I wouldn’t have been able to get past him as he was almost twice my size.”

Patel, a native of India, said her first instinct was to grab the phone, but after the gunman arrived behind the counter, she was left with only one option.

“I grabbed the bat and he still tried to get the money and then he hit our fridge in anger,” he said.

“We’ve had no problems in 17 years here, and I’ve never had to use the bat before, but instinctively I picked up the stick and it ran away.”

Patel said she was relieved when the man fled down Kiwi St away from his family business.

She said the local community, regardless of affiliation, makes the store feel safe.

“We feel safe here, even with this happening,” he said. “The locals, even the Mongrel Mob, are part of the community. We feel safe with them.”

At least two nearby schools, as well as Hawke’s Bay Hospital, were blocked as a precaution when the gunman fled the scene.

Spokespersons for Heretaunga Intermediate and Camberley Schools confirmed that students and staff had been confined.

A spokeswoman for the Hawke’s Bay District Board of Health said Hawke’s Bay Hospital was also closed for 15 minutes as a “precautionary measure” during the incident.

Police conducted searches of the area in an attempt to locate the person involved in the incident, but have yet to make an arrest.