Have-a-go hero Londoners confront hammer-wielding gang trying to steal moped

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This is the dramatic moment Londoners confronted a pair of hammer-wielding moped thieves as they used an angle-grinder in a brazen daylight attempt to steal a bike.

Footage shows two men attempting to steal the vehicle from outside an office block in east London before shocked onlookers try to tackle them to the ground.

One of the helmet-clad men appears to threaten people with a hammer as they walk past the thugs in Back Church Lane, Whitechapel.

Video taken on Thursday at 2pm outside Loom House, shows a member of the public clambering out a car and challenging the men, yelling: “I’ve got you, you bloody thief.”

Threats: One of the men was wielding a hammer

Despite the onlookers, the thieves continue to try and steal the bike, with one using an angle-grinder to free the vehicle while another waves his hammer at passersby.

Another clip taken by a shocked driver via his wing mirror, shows the moment a group of young office workers take on the men.

One have-a-go-hero leaps at the two thieves as they give up and try to flee, throwing his arms around them in a bid to bring them to the floor.

Theft: Footage shows the have-a-go hero attempting to stop the would-be thieves

Another worker lashes out at the men before he is sent toppling to the ground by the bikers and a small crowd give chase.

A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: “Two suspects on a moped were observed trying to cut the lock on the motorcycle using an angle grinder.

“The victim and another witness confronted the suspects, who threatened them with a hammer and subsequently made off.

Attempted theft: The brazen would-be thieves were caught on camera

“There have been no arrests and enquiries continue.”

The incident is the latest in a string of moped-enabled crimes in the capital, which figures show have rocketed to the level of one per hour.

Campaigners called for the Met to be given greater powers to tackle the problem after new data showed there has been a seven-fold increase in the crime in the last year.

In April, a gang of moped thieves attacked a rider with a fire extinguisher and knocked him to the ground in an attempt to steal his bike in Ilford.

The incident is the latest in a string of “moped-enabled” crimes in the capital, which figures show have rocketed to the level of one per hour.

Campaigners called for the Met to be given greater powers to tackle the problem after new data showed there has been a seven-fold increase in the crime in the last year.

In April, a gang of moped thieves attacked a rider with a fire extinguisher and knocked him to the ground in an attempt to steal his bike in Ilford.

Terrifying footage, captured on the victim’s helmet-mounted camera, showed the failed daylight attack unfold.

In another incident, four thieves, armed with crowbars and a hammer, were also pictured targeting terrified pedestrians as they carried out at least one phone theft in the West End.

Witnesses to the raid, which happened near the BBC’s HQ Broadcasting House last month, described how pillion passengers waved their weapons to ward off any have-a-go heroes.

Police have drawn up a list of about 200 individuals who they suspect of the majority of moped-related crimes, but they are hard to prosecute because of the difficulty in securing evidence.

Many are not pursued because of fears for their safety and that of other road users and it is difficult to identify them when they are covering their faces.

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