Police launched a hunt last night after two masked men fired a gunshot as they robbed a busy post office in a Glasgow suburb.
The robbers threatened a member of staff with a gun, before firing a shot at the ceiling.
They escaped with a four-figure sum of money before making their getaway in a blue Ford Transit van, which has since been recovered.
A number of customers were queuing at the newsagent counter shortly after it opened when the robbers entered the premises.
Staff and three customers in the post office were left badly shaken by the raid, in RS McColl at the Broom shopping parade in Newton Mearns, East Renfrewshire, around 9.10am yesterday.
It’s the second violent attack at a post office in the city within three days.
Stylist Sara Stewart, who was working in the nearby K-Hair Studio at the time of the robbery, revealed the incident had frightened many of the salon’s regulars.
She said: “Many of the people around here were pretty shook up by the whole thing.
“We heard the helicopter hovering overhead. Then one of our regulars came in and told us the Post Office had been robbed.
“I’ve been here for 10 years and never heard anything happen like this around here.”
An employee at neighbouring business Fraser Pharmacy told how she phoned the police after a member of the public shouted through the door the post office was being robbed.
She said it had brought back memories of a raid on her workplace 19 years ago. The pharmacy was raided by four masked men in 1992 with machetes.
The member of staff said: “It’s not nice for anybody to go through, and it has brought it all back.”
The first suspect being hunted by police is white, of heavy build, who wore a dark hooded top with three stripes down the arms, grey trousers and tracksuit bottoms with a design on the back pocket.
The second suspect, also white, is around 5ft 7in and of slim-to-medium build. Both men wore gloves.
The two men escaped on foot over a grassy area towards Dunure Place. It is believed they got into a blue Ford Transit van which has since been found and is undergoing forensic analysis.
Detective Inspector Gary Thomson said: “The police helicopter assisted in the search and officers are currently gathering CCTV footage and carrying out door-to-door enquiries in an effort to gather more details on this crime.”
Meanwhile, detectives have refreshed their appeals for information on the assault of a female post office worker in Nitshill Road, Glasgow, on Saturday.
The 45-year-old woman was attacked around 7.50am by a raider who demanded a five-figure some of money from the branch premises.
The suspect is of heavy build, around 5ft 10in and wore a high-visibility vest at the time of the robbery.
Detective Inspector Pat Campbell, Helen Street CID, is appealing for witnesses.
He said: “As part of the investigation we have received information from a number of different people regarding this incident.
“I would appeal for those who have previously con- tacted the police over the past days and provided information anonymously, to again come forward. Any contact would be treated in confidence.”
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