Dramatic footage captured the moment two brave jewellers fought off an armed robber inside their shop.
Malcolm Abelson, 78, and his wife Elise, 73, confronted the man after he tried to steal a necklace and three diamond bracelets from their business in Manchester city centre on Monday morning.
The couple say the man visited Abelsons in St Ann's Arcade earlier in the day before returning armed with a claw hammer just before midday.
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Ms Abelson said the man, who was dressed in black clothing, asked to look at a necklace and diamond bracelet, which he claimed were 'for his girlfriend'.
When Ms Abelson produced the items, she said the man tried to snatch them from her.
"He said 'give them to me'," she said. "My husband started screaming and I set the panic alarm off.
"He pulled out a hammer and I screamed 'the police are coming'. Malcolm was fighting him and I was kicking him.
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"He started running towards the door but Malcolm thought he had the bracelets.
"The barber from next door came out and got him off my husband. He grappled with the man and he ran down the passage but dropped his phone and the hammer."
The couple were not injured in the terrifying incident and the culprit left empty-handed. The shop reopened as normal on Tuesday morning.
The family business was founded by Julius Abelson, Malcolm's grandfather, in 1895 and has been serving customers in Manchester for more than 125 years.
Malcolm and Elsie took over the business more than 50 years ago and say it was the first incident time they had experienced an incident of this nature.
"A few years ago, someone tried to smash the window and grab something but we've never had an armed attack like this," said Ms Abelson.
"Both of us are very shaken. It was probably only about five minutes but it went on forever.
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"Thankfully, he didn't get anything and we aren't hurt. It could have been a knife and he could have killed one of us.
"The pair of us are quite strong. He must have thought two old people, we are more vulnerable.
"I don't think he expected us to do what we did. You just do it on adrenaline.
"If you said to me now what would you do in that situation, I would say I'd open the door and say 'take it'. I don't know what made us do it."
After CCTV footage of the incident was shared on Twitter by the couple's grandson, several social media users described Mr Abelson as a 'hero'.
One woman tweeted: "Well done that man, deserves a medal, you should be very proud."
Greater Manchester Police said it has launched an investigation into the incident, although no arrests have been made at this stage.
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