Man with Hamer films how he put hundreds of bottles in beverage trade: « My colleague hid in the toilet » (Bornem)
A 48-year-old man hit hundreds of bottles at Drankenhandel Asterx in Bornem on Friday afternoon. Two employees present remained unharmed. The police were able to overpower the perpetrator. It is guessing to the man’s motives. He did not seem outside of sentences, was not aggressive towards other people and even seemed to film his destruction with a smartphone.
The police cannot confirm the latter, but on safety images of the Bornemse Asterx branch you can clearly see how the man who invaded a hammer on Friday holds a smartphone in front of him. « We are going to clean up until 8 pm, I fear, » sighs regional manager Victor de Latin. « We hope to open again tomorrow morning. How many bottles were killed? Hundreds probably. »
Regional manager Victor and store manager Jo van Asterx in Bornem. – © Wout van den Eede
Around 2 pm, shop manager Jo saw how a man walked into the Asterx in Bornem and caused damage to the glass sliding door with a hammer. « I immediately went outside, my colleague Els hid in the toilets, » he says. « Because of course we felt unsafe. But actually the man was not aggressively towards us. He did not shout, he did not scold, he did not look like crazy. He seemed, that it seemed, only causing material damage. »
Overpowered
The police were called and the man was overpowered. Everything happened very quickly because the Commissariat in Bornem is not much further on the Puursesteenweg. « Well done from the police, » says shop assistant Els.
Four customers were able to get rid of the emergency exit in the store
Victor de Latin
Regional Manager Asterx
The incident is particularly inconvenient because they are in the middle of the preparations for the Spirits Festival on 3 May in Waarloos (Kontich). « I am already happy that there are no victims, » says De Latin. « Four customers were able to get rid of the emergency exit in the store. »
The damage in the store. – © Wout van den Eede
© Wout van den Eede
© Wout van den Eede
© Wout van den Eede
