Malaysian police said on Monday they had arrested a 49-year-old taxi driver and his family after swords were wielded as they robbed a petrol station of cigarettes and chocolates.
District police chief Zainuddin Yaacob, describing the case as 'off the wall', told AFP that the man brought his wife, four children and 16-month-old baby girl along for the Saturday afternoon heist in southern Johor state.
"While his wife and baby waited in his taxi, the man and his four older children robbed the petrol station, with his eight-year-old keeping lookout while holding onto a sword," he said.
"The other three accompanied their father into the petrol station, armed with swords and robbed the shop of four packs of cigarettes and chocolates," he added.
Zainuddin said that police, who had been trailing the family, tried to stop the taxi driver, but he waved his weapon at them before getting into his car and leading police on a 15-kilometre (nine-mile) chase before surrendering.
"We seized six swords, a vegetable knife and a wooden baton from the suspects," he added.
Zainuddin said police had began following the taxi driver on Saturday morning after the man's nephew lodged a report claiming the taxi driver had attacked him with a sword.
"However, when police arrived at his home, the man was seen fleeing with his family in a taxi, waving swords out the car's windows wildly before heading to the petrol station," he said.
He said initial investigations showed the man and his children had also robbed the same petrol station of food and cigarettes on Friday.
Zainuddin said the taxi driver's family members have been released on bail but the man has been remanded for further investigations.