This is the shocking moment a “brazen” bike thief makes his escape on a family bike with an unwieldy child seat in a south London suburb.
The helmet-wearing men used an angle grinder to saw through a bicycle lock up in front of families in Crawthew Grove, East Dulwich at 5.30pm on Wednesday.
One of the thieves then awkwardly cycles off with the family bike before police arrive at the scene with the other fleeing on a moped.
A witness told the Standard that the thefts were becoming common in south London.
She said: “It was so terrifying to see them act so brazen and do it without a care in the world. They saw me filming but carried on, of course, their faces were covered.
“There were a handful of people around, a few families. Several people were on the phone to police. What’s shouting at them to stop going to do? They really didn’t care that they had an audience.”
She added: “I’m getting the usual abuse on Twitter for not doing anything to stop it but I just tried to do what I could.
“The area has always felt very safe for families but no area in London is safe now.”
A Metropolitan Police Twitter account said they “were aware of the footage”, adding: “We have located the original call and have sent this footage to the relevant department.”
A Scotland Yard spokeswoman later said: “Police received a report that a bike had been stolen from Crawthew Grove, East Dulwich.
“An investigation is ongoing.
“No arrests have been made at this time.”
