Watch the extraordinary moment a Melbourne restaurant owner fights off an armed thief with a chair

By ASHLEY NICKEL, NEWS REPORTER, AUSTRALIA Published: 15:43, 5 August 2026 | Updated: 15:43, 5 August 2026 Confronting CCTV has emerged of a Melbourne restaurant owner bravely fighting off a would-be thief armed with a machete by using a chair. Hari Soni sprang into action after he spotted the man breaking into his hatchback parked out the back of his Spice Mix Restaurant in inner-city Brunswick East shortly before 8pm on Tuesday night. He quickly grabbed a chair to defend himself and raced outside to confront him. Restaurant employees also grabbed what they could and ran out to help. CCTV showed the stunned would-be thief taking a backward step away from the car after seeing Mr Soni armed with the chair.  'He tried to attack me several times, he did several attempts,' he told Nine News. The attempted thief initially fled but then swung a machete at Mr Soni. 'He took out the big machete and he was trying to stab me,' he said. Restaurant owner Hari Soni confronted an attempted car thief with a chair (above) in Melbourne's inner-north on Tuesday night Mr Soni (above) claimed the would-be thief slashed at him multiple times with a machete 'I was scared. I had a thought of my family because if something happens to me, who's going to look after them?' The offender fled moments later, empty handed. Mr Soni wasn't physically injured but remains traumatised by the terrifying ordeal. 'I was very stressed last night, I couldn't sleep,' he said. He opened his restaurant on Lygon St eight years ago but claimed a recent escalation of crime made the area feel unsafe. Mr Soni called for more police patrols to help prevent further incidents. 'What I did was for my family, my business, my customers and for the safety of the community,' he said.  Victoria Police confirmed that an investigation has been launched. Mr Soni has run Spice Mix Restaurant (above) for eight years but noticed a recent uptick in crime 'The victim confronted the offender and a physical altercation ensued with the offender pulling out a machete and lunging at the victim,' a spokesperson told Daily Mail. 'The offender left the scene on foot and has not been located. 'The investigation remains ongoing.' Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers.