Tory MP Johnny Mercer tackled ‘racist thug’ during alleged late-night robbery
2 min read
Conservative MP Johnny Mercer floored an alleged robber in a late-night scrap in a convenience store.
The former Army captain had stopped off for a bag of crisps following a night out near Westminster when the altercation took place in a 24-hour shop.
The Plymouth MP sprang into action when the man attempted to throw a bottle at an assistant in the store after he was caught allegedly trying to steal alcohol.
“I just threw him on the floor and told him to stop being a p***k,” Mr Mercer said.
“He picked a bottle out of the bin, went back to the shop and threw it at the shop owner. I heard it break. I went back. He took off down the street.”
The Tory backbencher said that another shopper waded in to help after the skirmish broke out.
He added: “Me and this other guy grabbed him. The other guy went back to the shop, and I put him on the floor and waited for the cops.
“He had been in the shop too and he told me this guy was being a racist.”
But the shopkeeper asked that the man be released as he did not want to involve the police. Mr Mercer told The Times: “He said: ‘The cops won’t do anything.’ So I just gave him a piece of my mind.”
An eye witness told The Daily Mail: “The man (Mr Mercer) threw him on the floor to detain him for the police.”
The witness added that the dynamic duo had shared a fist bump after the thug had scarpered down the street, before going on their own way.
The Commons Defence Committee member, who has been tipped as a rising star in the party, is a vocal supporter of the Armed Forces after serving three combat tours of Afghanistan.
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