A violent confrontation erupted at a Tesco store in Finsbury Park, north London, as staff and alleged shoplifters hurled metal baskets and crates at each other.
The fierce stand-off took place at the doors of the high street supermarket while innocent shoppers looked on in horror.
The incident involved workers and a security guard attempting to prevent would-be crooks from re-entering the store.
Mobile phone footage captured the chaotic scene as objects were thrown back and forth between the two groups.
The fierce stand-off took place at the doors of the high street supermarket while innocent shoppers looked on in horror
Tesco has confirmed it is investigating the incident.
The situation appeared to begin relatively calmly, with the security guard, wearing a yellow high-vis waistcoat, telling those being ejected: "Take your stuff and go".
The men who had been thrown out responded with expletives, according to the video footage.
Tensions quickly escalated as the security guard made has been described as "a chilling threat".
"You come next time and I'll f**k your a*s up , okay? Call the police," the guard can be heard saying in the footage.
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Following this exchange, the men began throwing objects through the doors at the Tesco store.
The security guard retaliated by grabbing an empty plastic produce tray and hurling it towards them.
The confrontation quickly intensified as more items were thrown back and forth between the two parties.
Staff members began hurling metal shopping baskets at the alleged shoplifters outside the store.
Mobile phone footage captured the chaotic scene as objects were thrown back and forth between the two groups
The situation worsened when one of the baskets came crashing back through the doors.
Throughout the incident, shocked customers could only look on as the violent exchange continued.
Mobile phone footage captured the entire confrontation, showing the escalation from verbal altercation to physical objects being thrown.
A Tesco spokeswoman addressed the incident, saying: "We're investigating what happened here as the conduct does not meet the high standards we set ourselves, and we apologise for this."
