A woman with training in martial arts jumped into action sending a would-be robber scampering from a convenience store, after he threatened the shopkeeper.
Karate expert Mairi Kerin was at the counter buying chocolate treats for her nieces when the hooded man came into the LOCO store in Shropshire, England—and dramatic CCTV video captured the encounter.
But she had already noticed the suspicious man in the parking lot.
“As I got out of the car I noticed this person all covered up and thought ‘You look like you’re going to rob a shop’,” the 42-year-old told SWNS news agency.
But then she reminded herself, “You can’t think that about people, can’t pigeon-hole people like that… Maybe he’s just got a bike somewhere, he’s been out riding, or whatever.”
Mairi entered the store and spent a couple minutes shopping and was getting ready to pay the cashier when the man appeared.
“I heard the shopkeeper ask, ‘Why did you put something against the door?’, and I heard him reply, ‘Because I’m going to take your money’.
“He said it really cool, really calm.
“He stepped forward, I could see his pockets were full and I thought he had weapons, my eyes were glued to his pockets.
“When I saw his left hand still in his pocket I took the chance.”
She grabbed the would-be thief’s arm and delivered a couple of firm kicks to the shin causing him to run out of the store. (See the video at the end of the article…)
Mairi, who lives in Staffordshire, received a Commendation Award from the Police Chief Superintendent of West Mercia Police following her heroics on March 3.
She described how she didn’t think twice about jumping to the shopkeeper’s defense.
“We would later find out a knife and a firearm were involved but whatever was in the left pocket, for that moment it was not coming out.”
She said her John Wayne-style swagger on the CCTV footage was due to the pain of breaking in some heels for a new job.
“I was wearing new heels at the time and I was trying to break them in, I hadn’t worn heels since lockdown so I needed some practice.
“It makes me laugh when I watch it now.
Mairi said that her intervention wasn’t bravery. She credits it to self-belief after 20 years of martial arts training that has seen her represent England and the Republic of Ireland.
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“The time was right, and I’m glad I was there. People have asked whether I was scared. No, I was not.
“I’ve trained with this type of event in mind (and) sparred in full-contact sessions with people far heavier than me.
“In my opinion this is not stupidity or bravado, it’s a reflection of self-belief.”
After the robber was caught and jailed for his involvement, Chief Superintendent Edd Williams praised Mairi’s intervention as “an inspiring act of bravery from an upstanding member of the public.”
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“Her quick thinking meant that no one was harmed during this attempted robbery and no money or goods were stolen.” (Watch the video footage of the encounter below…)
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