Knife-wielding robber foiled by vodka

A knife-wielding robber in Liverpool was chased away with his tail between his legs when his victim turned on him him with a bottle of vodka.

Shopkeeper Suranga Sooriyabandara (pictured) grabbed the bottle of spirits when the masked stick-up artist, perhaps confused, threatened to shoot him.

The two duelled briefly behind the counter before Sooriyabandara knocked the knife from his assailant’s hand.

Disarmed, the man fled and Sooriyabandara threw the bottle after him hitting him on the leg.

The whole incident was caught on the store’s cctv cameras, including the moment outside the shop when the thief tied a red bandana around his head.

The BBC reported that Sooriyabandara had lost a friend in an armed robbery two years ago which prompted him to fight back.

Mahesh Wickramasingha died when he was stabbed in the throat during a robbery in Huyton in November 2011.

“If anything were to happen to me, no-one would look after my wife and kids, that’s why I grabbed the bottle to fight with him,” said Sooriyabandara.

A 37-year old man has been charged with attempted robbery and is due to appear before Liverpool Magistrates Court.