A thug who carried a bat into an Aldi store and knocked a worker unconscious was tackled to the ground by shoppers using a supermarket trolley.
The botched armed robbery took place earlier this month and was captured on the supermarket's CCTV cameras.
The video shows the brazen thief, named as Mervyn Davidson, wearing a back pack, shorts and a vest marching into the store while waving a baseball bat in the air in broad daylight.
Footage caught on another camera then shows him approaching a till and smashing the weapon over the female worker's head, during the incident in Australia.
She can be seen tumbling off her chair to the floor as one of the shoppers runs away.
Davidson then reaches over the checkout to the till and attempts to open it.
But one of the shoppers, named locally as Manuel Melgarejo, dressed in a black vest, shorts and flip flops tries to stop him.
He rams his trolley to block the desk's opening and looks as if he is shouting at the attacker.
Meanwhile another man, wearing a white shirt and dark trousers runs from the other end of the store, comes up behind the Davidson and grabs him in a bear hug.
The two shoppers wrestle to get the bat from the attacker while more customers run over to help.
They tackle the man to the floor while someone can be seen getting out their mobile - presumably to call the police.
Other shoppers look on in shocked, while one man can be seen trying to comfort his son as the incident unfolds.
Speaking to the Illawarra Mercury 48-year-old Manuel, who is trained in martial arts, said: "I was shopping with my wife and young daughter when I heard a commotion and screaming and yelling at the front counter.
"When I got there the guy had already hit the cashier, she was down on the ground and there was blood everywhere.
"People had left their trolley and run, so I grabbed one. I tried to negotiate with him, but he was going to hit her again so I pushed the trolley into him."
And according to news.com.au Manuel said: "He just went to launch at me with the baseball bat and as he did that, I grabbed the trolley.
"There was kids there, there were people crying and screaming, it was crazy, it was like out of a movie or something."
The Sydney Morning Herald reported the footage taken at a store in Albion Park Rail, New South Wales, was played in Wollongong court on Monday.
Court documents showed the victim was in hospital for five days with bleeding on the brain and facial fractures.
It has been reported that she has not yet returned to work full time.
But while Davidson was being held in custody he punched a police officer in the face and also chocked his cellmate unconscious.
He was charged over all three incident and pleaded guilty.
At his sentence hearing, Davidson said he was under the influence of ice - a term used for crystal meth - and had no recollection of his actions.
It is reported he had remorse for his actions and said: "I shouldn't have done it.
"If she (the employee) was here I'd apologise to her."
Judge Andrew Haesler said Davidson had an extensive criminal history but no similar incidents on his record.
He added that his rehabilitation would depend on his ability to stay drug-free in the community.
He is due to be sentenced next Thursday.