Balaclava-clad man tries to rob store with cap gun

An armed hold up at a Victorian convenience store didn't go according to plan for this balaclava-clad robber after the owner noticed he was only holding a cap gun.

CCTV footage shows the man entering the Bendigo store at 2.20am on Tuesday and throwing a plastic bag on the counter before pulling out a gun and pointing it at the owner's face "gangster style".

Owner Steve Ewart refused to fill the bag and was captured leaning casually on the counter as he faced off with the offender.

"He said 'you don't wanna test me'. I told him 'go ahead, I'm not giving you any money'," Mr Ewart told the Bendigo Advertiser.

"I wasn't scared at all.

"I have been around guns my whole life, so I know what a real gun looks like."

When the man realised he wasn't getting anywhere with his cap gun, he put it back into his pants and walked out of the store.

It is the fourth time the store has been held up in 12 months.

Police are still trying to track down the offender.

Source: Bendigo Advertiser

Author: Emily Crane, Approving editor: Simon Black