This is the chilling moment a young robber wielding a long knife orders a terrified teenager to take off his bag, coat and chain before threatening him again as he lies prone on the ground.
The sickening street attack was filmed by an accomplice and posted on social media - the footage captures the victim's desperate cries as he's chased down.
Police in Bury have now confirmed to the Manchester Evening News that two teenage boys have been arrested. The boys, aged 15 and 17, were both held on suspicion of robbery. They remained in custody for questioning today, Thursday, Greater Manchester Police confirmed.
The boy - aged 17 - was targeted on Cornwall Drive on the Springs estate in Redvales, Bury, near to Bury Football Club's Gigg Lane ground. Thankfully he escaped injury, but police said he was left 'understandably shaken up'.
Issuing an appeal for witnesses or anyone with information to come forward, police chiefs said the video footage would 'rightly cause shock and outrage' as they confirmed patrols have been stepped up in the area as a result.
The footage, which the M.E.N. has obtained, shows a youth with a knife walking up to the victim, who is stood near to a car. The robber can be heard telling him 'everything, everything' - then 'give me your jacket, everything'.
The victim hands over a man bag he was carrying, as the robber waves the knife around. He's heard to swear and threaten the youngster, who then takes off his jacket and hands that over as well.
The robber then asks for his chain, which the boy takes from around his neck and gives to him.
The distressing footage goes on to capture the boy running off along the road. He ends up lying on the ground, where the thug with the knife threatens him again as he stands over him.
Police chiefs have praised the victim's bravery in reporting his ordeal to them. The robbery happened at around 7.30pm on January 18, but was only reported to Greater Manchester Police on Monday, January 23. The arrests followed swiftly after CCTV footage was obtained, police said.
In a statement, GMP said: "At around 7.30pm on 18 January 2023, officers received reports that a 17 year-old boy had been robbed of his jacket, man bag and chain at knife point on Cornwall Drive, Bury. Thankfully, the victim was not injured during the incident.
"The incident was reported to GMP on January 23. Officers quickly reviewed CCTV and video footage that was posted on social media and have arrested a 17 year old boy on suspicion of robbery. He remains in custody ahead of being questioned by detectives.
"Further enquiries have also led to the arrest of another 15 year old male who has been arrested on suspicion of robbery."
Chief Inspector Samantha Jackson, of GMP's Bury district, said: "The footage relating to this robbery will quite rightly cause shock and outrage but I would like to reassure the community that a specialist team of officers and detectives have been working on the investigation and have now identified and arrested a suspect.
"Whilst no one was injured during the incident, the victim is understandably shaken up by the ordeal and I would personally like to thank the victim for his bravery in reporting the matter to police and to individuals who have supported the investigation to date.
"Behaviour such as this will absolutely not be tolerated and we are doing all that we can to investigate thoroughly and ensure that those responsible are held accountable for their actions. You may notice that there will be an increase in officers out on the streets in the local area over the coming days to gather intelligence and offer reassurance to the public."
Councillor Tamoor Tariq, a Redvales councillor who is the deputy leader of Bury council, said in a social media post: "The video being shared on social media is hard to watch. This is not the type of incident we would expect in our neighbourhood.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with the victim and their family. GMP have confirmed they are fully investigating the incident and have been made aware of the details.
"This type of incident is not acceptable in our local community and we will work with the authorities to ensure knife crime has no place within our streets."
GMP added in the statement: "If anyone has any CCTV, dashcam or mobile phone footage of the incident please get in touch as soon as possible. Even the smallest piece of information could be a vital part of our investigation. Please contact officers on 0616 856 8409 or by using the LiveChat facility on gmp.police.uk or Crimestoppers on 0800 111 555.
"Officers are still in the early stages of the investigation and are appealing for anybody with any information to make contact via burynorth@gmp.police.uk."
No further details have been revealed and the teenagers in custody haven't been named.
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