A brave woman shopping at an Auckland mall stood her ground and caught on camera the moment a sledgehammer-wielding man raided a cash exchange shop.

Police responded to reports of a man carrying a large box with a long-handled sledgehammer inside it near LynnMall on Sunday around 11.30am.

The man then put a balaclava on and smashed his way through the side windows of No 1 Currency.

Seema Deo, a hairdresser working in the mall, said she was sweeping up when she heard loud banging.

She said the whole incident was “quite scary”.

“This is the first time I’ve seen anything happen like this. You hear about it and you see the aftermath but you’re never in it.”

Witness accounts on Facebook have described the moment a “nana” followed the man as he fled the mall.

“Nana chased him until he got in his car,” one person wrote.

“Nana power,” another said.

Deo also recalled seeing the woman.

“She was taking a video while walking behind him,” she said.

Video footage of the brazen heist shows the thief throwing himself on to the counter to reach the till, which he then rips out and empties into a bag.

He then runs off from the store as a desperate shopworker phones for help.

Police are investigating an aggravated robbery at LynnMall. Photo / Alex Burton

During the incident, a shopkeeper can be seen at the back corner of the store.

“Thankfully, no one was injured, but police acknowledge the incident was distressing for the workers involved.”

A police statement said the robber fled from the mall to an awaiting car.

The vehicle was then spotted running a red light on Clarke St and was last seen at the intersection of Clarke St and Rankin Ave.

“The investigation into this incident is ongoing and police are asking for anyone who may have dashcam footage of that area between 11.15am-11.45am on Sunday, November 12, to please come forward,” police said.

Information can be given by contacting police on 105 or online, quoting the file number 231112/9230.

Information can also be provided anonymously via Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111.

Caitlan Johnston is a breaking news reporter based in Waikato. She joined the Herald in 2022.