IKEA teens robbed at knifepoint

by Crystal Wieringa

April 10, 2008

TWO female teenagers are scared to return to work after they were robbed at knifepoint in their employer’s Innaloo car park on the evening of April 7.

Danielle Djano (17) and Rebecca Anderson (19) were approached by two men about 6.30pm. The teenagers were sitting in Ms Djano’s car in the IKEA car park after work when they noticed a man standing two metres to the left of the vehicle.

“It was weird,” said ms Djano. “It seemed like he was trying not to look at me and then he looked at me.”

Seconds later, another man appeared at the open driver’s side window, and opened his jacket to reveal a knife with a 15cm blade. The teenagers say he demanded the girls give him, “everything they had”.

At first, the victims thought that he was joking. They then reconsidered.

“I couldn’t believe this was happening to me,” Ms Djano said. “I decided to hand over my wallet when I realised what he could do to us with the knife.”

The men made off with Ms Djano’s wallet and a mobile phone. The victims described both men as Caucasian and in their late teens.

Immediately after the robbery, the Ms Djano and Anderson drove away and called police.

 “This was the first time I’ve been robbed and it has affected me so much,” Ms Djano said. “We were both in such a state.”

Ms Anderson agreed.

“It really upset me and I totally broke down after it happened,” she added. “I didn’t know what to do.”

The first man was of average build and had curly brown hair. He wore a long-sleeved pinstripe business shirt and black pants, and was carrying a small black drawstring bag.

The second man was thin, with peroxide blonde hair and sideburns. He wore a long black jacket with a navy blue shirt and black cap, and according to Ms Djano had “crooked, yellow teeth”.

Neither victim has returned to work. IKEA has offered them counselling.

“No one would ever expect anything like that to happen,” Ms Anderson said. “It’s scary to think how random it was.”

Ms Djano would like to return to work, but says she “is too scared to walk in and out the doors by herself”.

Stirling cop shop said they’d not yet made an arrest.