Justin Hemmes was held at gunpoint last night, the victim of a robbery at the recently acquired Excelsior Hotel in Surry Hills. According to reports two men entered the premises with a screwdriver and handgun and demanded cash before fleeing in a black Audi. The nightlife empresario was visibly angry with police (watch here), who failed to apprehend the the thieves despite the getaway vehicle careening into a parked police car. “I had a gun put to my fucking head,” Hemmes told police “and when I chased them out, they jumped into a car and a guy shouted ‘Go, go, go,’”
The robbery is believed to be linked to a stick-up at the Rose of Australia Hotel in Erskineville 15 minutes prior.
The Excelsior Hotel is trading as normal today.
