Retailer traps thief with bear hug

A knife-wielding thief got more than he bargained for when he barged into an elderly retailer’s shop in West Yorkshire.

[pull_quote_center]I went after the thief and challenged him and we tussled and then bear-hugged on the counter, which then collapsed – David Sykes, 70[/pull_quote_center]

David Sykes, 70, confronted the masked thief when he entered his convenience store in Elland, and locked the man in his grip.

“I went after him and challenged him and we tussled and then bear-hugged on the counter, which then collapsed,” said Sykes, who has run the store for 36 years.

The robber fled empty handed.