Dramatic footage has been released showing a 70-year-old shopkeeper who was stabbed as he fought off three knife-wielding thugs.
One of the trio knifed the pensioner as he brandished a shop sign in a bid to defend himself during the attempted robbery in Walthamstow, east London.
The CCTV clip shows a customer using a stool to protect themselves against the hooded and masked attackers.
Another customer and the shopkeeper’s wife were also in the store at the time.
Police are appealing for information after the attempted raid on the shop in Carr Road, Walthamstow, on Sunday.
Officers were called at around 9.10pm by the London Ambulance Service.
The victim, who suffered a number of stab injuries, is in hospital in a serious but stable condition, Scotland Yard said.
The suspects are three white men in their 20s who were wearing dark tracksuit bottoms and dark jackets with hoods. One man had a grey hooded top underneath a black puffa jacket.
Detective Sergeant Ben Voss, of Waltham Forest CID, said: “This was a violent attack on a pensioner who was trying to run his shop.
“The assailants used an extreme level of violence against elderly man who was trying to defend himself, his wife, customers and business.
“The attack could have resulted in tragic consequences but luckily the victim is now recovering in hospital.
“I would appeal to anyone who has any information on who was responsible to contact police as soon as possible.”
