A "brave" West Bromwich pharmacist used a plastic box to fend off a knife-wielding man during an attempted robbery, police revealed last week.

CCTV footage, released by West Midlands police on Tuesday (March 25), shows a man with tights over his face and armed with a knife as he entered Beaconview Chemist in West Bromwich just before 10am on February 15. He demanded sleeping tablets and cash before a "brave pharmacist" holding a plastic box chased him from the premises, police said.

The robber was a heavily-built white man, six feet two inches tall and aged between 20 and 30, police said. He was wearing a "distinctive top with a red pattern across the hood", they added.

CCTV footage released by West Midlands police shows a man with tights over his face and armed with a knife as he entered Beaconview Chemist in West Bromwich just before 10am on February 15	More on crime in pharmacies Police hunt 'desperate' armed robber following pharmacy raid Police warn parents after Co-operative pharmacy burglary Police warn public after prescription drugs theft
	They did not reveal the identity of the pharmacist and Beaconview Chemist also declined to do so. Police have linked the incident to the robbery of nearby PJ Ingram Pharmacy the previous month, where a man fitting the description had demanded the same brand of sleeping pills.

"We would like to hear from anyone who recognises the man in the CCTV or who has any information that will lead us to identify him," said detective constable Thomas Cunningham-Smith of West Midlands Crime Investigation Department.

Police urged anyone with information to contact DC Cunningham-Smith on 101 or provide information anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

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