Brave Edinburgh shopkeeper, who was an amateur wrestler, recalls how he fought off an armed robber

An Edinburgh shopkeeper, known as ‘Rambo’ in the local area, has recounted his experience of defending himself against a gun-wielding robber, who was subsequently sentenced to eight years in prison after attempting to raid his store.

65-year-old Khalid Mehmood, who owns the West Granton Superstore, fought bravely when a man entered his shop with a weapon on 10 October, 2021, EdinburghLive reports. The masked goon, later revealed to be David McKenzie, entered the store pointing a pistol at Mehmood. However, he was able to disarm the thug and get hold of the gun.

The grandad of 11 hit McKenzie – known as ‘Crackers’ – over the head with the weapon and managed to pull him outside, snatching the robber’s balaclava as well. After Mehmood put up a tough fight, McKenzie said, “Listen Rambo, it was only a joke. Don’t tell the polis.”

At the city’s High Court, 35-year-old McKenzie, a former customer at the store, was sentenced to prison for carrying a knife. He had 33 prior convictions.

Mehmood is a former amateur wrestler who has been known as ‘Rambo’ for decades. He told the Daily Record, “I’m glad he got eight years. It was overwhelming at the time, but I would do the same again.

“It could’ve been my wife in the shop instead of me. My customers have been very supportive. They call me a ‘hero’, although I wouldn’t say that about myself.”

At around 7:30 am on a Sunday morning, McKenzie barged into the store in the Granton area while Khalid was stationed behind the counter.

The father-of-four said, “He had a pistol and said, ‘Give me all your money, you b*****d.’ I didn’t really have time to think. I grabbed his arm and twisted it.

“He was quite strong but I got the gun off him. He turned to take his knife out at the same time but dropped it. When he picked it up, I was already hitting him with his gun. The gun was a very heavy, old-fashioned type.

“We ended up outside the shop, fighting hand to hand, and I dropped the gun. I wanted to see his face so I managed to pull his balaclava up. He pushed me and I fell over. He had the knife, but I don’t think he used it because the balaclava was off and I could see his face.

“I knew him as someone who came into the shop although I didn’t know his name. I said, ‘What the f*** are you doing?’ and he said, ‘Listen Rambo, it was only a joke. Don’t tell the polis.’ I told him to ‘f*** off’.”

After the incident, McKenzie fled on a bicycle and was eventually caught by armed police officers at a Granton flat. Despite undergoing a double knee replacement two years ago, which rendered him unable to run, Mehmood managed to defend himself against the attacker.