A woman recovered her mobile phone after running nearly 2km chasing thieves who allegedly snatched the device on a busy north London street.
Izzy Du, a designer from Tottenham, said she “can’t believe” she was able to get her phone back after pursuing the two suspects.
Ms Du was walking along a main road in north London around mid-morning when the phone was said to be taken from her hand by two people on a bicycle.
She then gave chase and apprehended one of them, until the police arrived. The suspect was then arrested and Ms Du was taken home to give a statement.
“My heart dropped and I was like no, no, no, no. It’s just horrible, it’s the worst feeling when this actually happens to you,” she told BBC London.
“I’m running and running and shouting after them that I need my phone. I’ve been training lately, so I can run,” she explained.
After she got home, she opened her laptop and was able to track her device to where she found it hidden in a bush with six other phones.
She asked the police to help her hunt for the phone, but said “they did nothing” claiming they “gave every excuse” not to go and look for the phone.
Once Ms Du had provided her statement she went back to the scene without police assistance and was able to find it with the help of someone who witnessed it.
She said she was “disappointed” with the police response and said that if they decided to go to the location shown on the online tracker, “they would have found the phone”.
A Met Police spokesperson told The Independent: “On 17 December at around 11:20hrs police were called after a woman had her mobile phone stolen in Broad Street, N15.
“The woman followed the two suspects towards Seven Sisters station where one of them ran off. Officers were quickly on scene and the second suspect, a 16-year-old male - was arrested.
“He was subsequently charged with theft and appeared at Highbury Corner Magistrates’ Court on 18 December.
“He will next appear at the same court on 24 January for a further hearing.“The woman subsequently contacted police to inform she had located her phone along with three other mobile phones.
“Work continues to identify the other person involved. Anyone with information that could assist is asked to call 101 or ‘X’ @MetCC and quote ref: 01/1213229/24.”
