A six-year-old girl is being praised after she attempted to stop axe-wielding intruders from allegedly robbing and beating a store employee at her family’s Auckland, New Zealand electronics store on Monday.
READ MORE: Store employee escapes robbers, locks would-be thieves inside store
Surveillance video recorded Sarah Patel fall to the floor as six masked teenagers allegedly entered the store carrying axes and crowbars. As she recovers, the little girl is seen rushing over to the intruder and grabbing his leg in an effort to stop the accused from hurting the employee whom she confused with her father.
“I thought it was my dad,” Sarah told TVNZ.
The surprised attacker appears to cock back the axe before realizing who was grabbing his leg.
“He just looked at her and she got scared again,” Sarah’s mother, Nashrain Patel, said.
Nashrain told the New Zealand Herald that her daughter jumped into action because she knew fighting was wrong.
“She said, ‘hitting was a bad thing and I wanted to stop it,'” Nashrain said. “‘But when I saw the axe I just turned around and I just ran.'”
Despite Sarah failing to stop the attack, the heroic tyke was recorded helping a man, reported to be her grandfather, flee the raid.
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Shortly after Sarah and the man escaped the violence, the video shows one of the the alleged teenage intruders kick the 19-year-old store employee, identified as Jordan Byrt, in the head before walking away. Moments later, another teen allegedly kicks Byrt as he lay on the ground.
Sarah’s father says he is proud of his daughter’s bravery, but is relieved the situation wasn’t worse.
“I’m very fortunate she didn’t get hurt and that she came out healthy,” Suhail Patel told the Herald.
Police report that five of the six accused had been arrested and appeared in court on Tuesday charged with aggravated robbery, injuring with intent and breaching bail.
Authorities are still looking for a sixth teen accused of taking part in the robbery.
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