Two teenage boys have been arrested after a shop worker suffered serious head injuries while trying to prevent shoplifting.
The worker, 23, needed hospital treatment.
The two boys are aged 15 and 16.
The younger one was arrested on suspicion of grievous bodily harm, possession of a knife, possession of Class A and class B drugs and theft.
The 16-year-old was arrested on suspicion of actual bodily harm, theft and possession of Class B drugs.
Shoppers who go to the Co-op which is in Abinger Road, Portslade, said they were “sickened” by the incident.
Southern Co-op said it was saddened by it and said many retailers are seeing a rise in violence towards staff.
It comes after The Argus uncovered a spate of youth crime in towns across Sussex as part of an exclusive investigation.
Independent Brighton and Hove city councillor Peter Atkinson who uses this Co-op every day said: “I’m sickened by this assault and the behaviour of this group of youths.
“The Co-op worker was just trying to do his job and to be attacked in this way is appalling.
“I’m aware that the local councillors are talking with the police and Co-op managers so let’s hope these shop workers get the protection they deserve.
“Staff are understandably very shaken up by this.
“If we are not careful the shop will close as no one will want to work there.”
The automatic door at the front of the Co-op was smashed in the incident, according to Cllr Atkinson.
The attack happened at around 7.30pm on Sunday, August 27.
A Sussex Police spokeswoman said: “A 23-year-old man attended hospital with serious head injuries.
“A 15-year-old boy was arrested on suspicion of grievous bodily harm, possession of a bladed article, possession of Class A and Class B drugs and theft.
“A 16-year-old boy was arrested on suspicion of actual bodily harm, theft, and possession of Class B drugs. They have both been released on bail pending further enquiries.”
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Southern Co-op has not confirmed whether it will hire a security guard following this assault.
A spokeswoman said: “We’re deeply saddened by the incident involving our colleague who we will be providing with follow-up help from a trained trauma support colleague. Crimes like this are unacceptable and we'd urge anyone with information to speak to the police.
“While we've taken a number of security measures to protect our colleagues as much as possible, unfortunately incidents such as this are on the rise and experienced by many retailers, not just ourselves.
“The sad reality is that this behaviour impacts the whole community and we all need to work together to resolve these issues.”
Map of youth crime in Sussex towns as part of Argus investigation:
Above is a youth crime map as part of The Argus investigations.
We previously reported on two incidents in 2017 where a man robbed the store for cash with a screwdriver and another incident in 2020 where two men robbed the store at knifepoint.
It comes amid a rise of youth antisocial behaviour ranging from shoplifting to violent assaults at business in and around Brighton.
Frustrated shop owners have criticised the court system for giving “inadequate" sentences.
Last August, this paper reported on a shop worker’s fury at a 14-year-old boy who walked free from court with a fine after swinging a kitchen knife at him.
CCTV showed the worker fighting off the child with a shopping basket.
Earlier this year, The Argus revealed a vape shop owner who was angry that the same boy was given a curfew and fine for two counts of assault at another nearby shop and criminal damage for smashing his shop window two weeks before the knife incident.
In July last year four girls were caught on camera shoplifting cigarettes from a Tesco near Hove Station.
One staff member at another Co-op, in Field Place Parade, Durrington, told The Argus they were “too scared” to catch the train home one stop away at night so paid for a taxi to avoid a specific group of children.
In December last year, 11 schools in the Worthing area wrote to parents about concerns of youth violence.
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