Spanish Ram Raiders Rob Packed Ikea

With an estimated 2,000 people doing their Christmas shopping, the Ikea store in Vallecas Villa, Madrid, could not have been much busier. But the shopping experience became even more of a crush on Sunday evening when armed robbers rammed their vehicle into the store while shoppers were still going about their business.

According to witnesses, a black Jeep Cherokee smashed into the exit of the mega store at 7.30pm, and masked men jumped out, firing into the air.

Security guards sounded an alarm, indicating that a robbery was under way, and panic gripped the store, with shoppers shouting and screaming. Some hid among the furniture, others hit the floor. In the store's creche, staff escorted about 40 children out of the emergency exit.

"The kids thought it was just another game - none of them cried or said anything," said one member of staff.

The robbers - three or four, according to different accounts - threatened the cashiers but then made directly for their target, the central till where the money is collected. After grabbing about €5,000 (£3,600), they made off in the Jeep, which police said had been stolen shortly before the raid. Though police attempted to stop the robbers, firing shots in the air, they were unable to prevent them escaping.

Police said they believe it was a well-planned attack, and that the gang had studied the layout of the store. An Ikea worker said: "They had it all planned because they went straight for the central cash till." The whole raid lasted no more than two minutes. No one was hurt.

The Ikea store, which opened only four months ago, is the first in Madrid proper, and the third in greater Madrid. Sunday's attack was not the first time an Ikea has been targeted in Spain: in September 2005 a gang made off with €98,500 from a store in Alcorcón, 10 miles south-west of Madrid.