Londoners so fed up with phone snatchers they catch suspect seconds after theft

A suspected phone snatcher was arrested seconds after a phone was stolen, after members of the public assisted police in apprehending him.

CCTV footage shows two men on electric bikes riding up Ludgate Hill towards St Paul’s. The video shows the first suspect stealing a phone from a woman. They were encountered by police officers, the first suspect evaded officers by riding off on the pavement at high speed.

The second suspect, aged 23 from Southwark, turned back in the direction of where the phone was stolen. Members of the public, who witnessed the phone snatching, slowed down the suspect, allowing officers, who ran down the road, to apprehend him.

City of London Police Detective Sergeant Richard Dines said:

‘If you come to the City with the intention of stealing phones, you can expect to be met by officers on proactive patrols who will arrest you and bring you to justice.

‘We’ve recovered a phone from the suspect that we believe may have been stolen. It is a silver iphone with two distinctive stickers on the back. One sticker is from the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York dated the 7 October.

‘If it is your phone, or you have any details of who the phone might belong to, please call 020 7601 2222 quoting 616958.’

One suspect has been bailed pending further investigations. Police officers are exploring leads to identify and arrest the outstanding suspect.

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