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Pub cleaner gets beat up by four thugs armed with a machete, axe, baseball bat and garden shears – while the cops chase a car with the ‘BIG RIG’ license plate
- Four criminals attempted to rob the Gem Hotel on the Gold Coast on Saturday morning
- Cleaner, 36, was hospitalized after being attacked by the men in the pub
- The group left the premises empty-handed after no cash was left at the venue
- A car used in the attempted robbery was marked ‘BIG RIG’
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A group of armed criminals has left a cleaning woman in hospital after hitting him on the head during a violent botched robbery.
The men, armed with a machete, axe, baseball bat and garden shears, broke into the back door of the Gem Hotel in Alberton on the Gold Coast around 3 a.m. Saturday.
They demanded that a 36-year-old cleaner on the premises open the tills, leaving him badly shaken and with a cut on his throat after the terrifying ordeal.
“He was in hospital alone as a precaution,” hotel manager Clinton Hicks told the Daily Mail Australia.
“He’s free again and he’s healthy, that’s all we care about.
‘We can repair damage, but you cannot repair a person. He’s back at work today and I’ve talked to him quite extensively.’
The men, armed with a machete, axe, baseball bat and garden shears, broke into the back door of the Gem Hotel in Alberton on the Gold Coast around 3 a.m. Saturday.
Mr Hicks added that the cleaner is ‘happy to continue’.
“We’re keeping a close eye on him and he’s done well,” he said.
“If you look at the images, you can see that the guys are big boys. I’m six feet and these guys would have been very intimidating to me too.”
But despite assaulting the worker and vandalizing poker machines, the group left empty-handed within 10 minutes when they realized there was no cash on the premises.
“All they have is fresh air. They broke my poker machines, but they’re not that smart,” said Mr. Hicks.
“They don’t realize that hotels aren’t that stupid. We keep everything safe … we are very safe with what we do.’
The manager estimated the damage bill at several thousand dollars.
‘The insurance covers that (but) of course our premium will take a hit. That’s what insurance is for and they pay bills like this,” he said.
Armed thugs are pictured taking a break and entering a hotel on Queensland’s Gold Coast
But Mr Hicks emphasized that the biggest concern was his injured employee.
“The hotel owner is the same as me, it’s all about protecting our people and making sure they come first,” he said.
“He is shocked, but we are taking extra steps to ensure his safety is paramount in everything we do.”
The men were not only filmed at the property, but were also caught on CCTV scouring the location in a gold-colored Toyota Camry with false plates that read ‘BIG RIG’.
Earlier that morning, the same car was seen outside a service station in Ipswich, with four men breaking into the store and fleeing with packs of cigarettes.
Hotel manager Clinton Hicks (pictured) said there was no cash on site
The robbers (one of whom is in the photo) smashed two poker machines in the hotel on the Gold Coast
The four men were captured on CCTV next to their car, a gold Toyota Camry with false plates that read ‘BIG RIG’
The perpetrators remain on the run.
Police are looking for witnesses, particularly those who have CCTV or dashcam footage of the vehicle involved, which they said has panel damage on the passenger side above the steering wheel.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the police.