Grocery store brawl leaves customers running for cover | A Current Affair

Well, a quick dash to the supermarket for milk or something for dinner.We all do it without giving it much thought.Imagine then being confronted by a man with a baseball bat wailing into another at the checkout.The beating just metres from families at this Woolworths.

7pm on a Sunday.If this was your supermarket checkout, what would you do?

If I was there when that was on, I don't know what I'd do.I think I'd just run.I'd probably panic, maybe scream, I don't know.

Two men on a rampage inside a regional Victorian Woolworths.One's belting the other with a baseball bat.A woman and child clamber over the checkout just to get away.Another boy makes a run for it as stunned customers wonder what to do.I might have to go to another supermarket.

Unbelievable, isn't it?Absolutely unbelievable.

11 days prior, the same man in the same spot at the Kyabrum supermarket.This time, getting arrested.

Threatening, scary, erratic, very, very drug affected.

Local business owner Miles Gould attempted to subdue the man before police arrived.

He was tasered multiple times, upwards of five, and he was pepper sprayed.That was needed to arrest him.

Charges were laid for both incidents and it's alleged the men are known to each other.Both were bailed to appear in the magistrate's court.Locals tell me one of the men involved is a menace around town.And it's a personal dispute that keeps spilling out into violence on their streets and in their stores.But after every incident, they tell me he's bailed to do it again.

It's not the police fault.They are hamstrung.If the bail laws were what they were meant to be, and strong, he wouldn't be out in the community as often as he is.

Both men were banned from the Woolies store that night, but one of them was straight back the following morning, with Woolworths forced to bring in extra security guards.

This is a really clear example of where banning notices are not effective.

Sarah Farlan is head of violence prevention at Woolworths.

We do see repeat behaviour occur in our stores and this is where workplace protection orders are a really critical piece of legislation to prevent that future harm.

Woolies wants the Victorian Government to introduce workplace protection orders as a matter of urgency.

Unfortunately, Victoria is the national hotspot when it comes to this sort of activity.

Fleur Brown from the Australian Retail Council.

We've also seen that 60 % of retail crime offences are caused by 10 % of repeat offenders.That's why we're urging the government to act faster on worker protection orders where they can remove those repeat offenders from those locations.

I think it'd probably scare a lot of people off.No, it's not safe.We need to feel safe.

to see that at your local supermarket in front of kids.I mean, what are we coming to?