E-bike thieves brazenly ripped a phone from a man’s hand on a busy street corner in one of London‘s poshest neighbourhoods.
The stunned pedestrian chased after them in Knightsbridge, west London but was forced to give up when the thieves zoomed off.
The two riders targeted the man who was carrying a white bag and casually standing by the kerb with a woman.
It appeared as if he was about to cross the road when the main culprit, clad in black, snatched the phone from his hand.
The phone snatch was filmed on February 14.
One local said: ‘They need to up the sentences for this. Absolutely disgusting.’
Another commented: ‘Get a wrist strap case and keep your phone in your pocket in London as much as possible.’
One added: ‘Literally need to kick them off from these electric bikes towards a running vehicle.
The stunned pedestrian chased after the thieves in Knightsbridge, west London but was forced to give up when they zoomed off
The two riders targeted the man who was carrying a white bag and casually standing by the kerb with a woman
It appeared as if the victim was about to cross the road when the main culprit, clad in black, snatched the phone from his bag
‘Otherwise they won’t learn a lesson and will keep stealing stuff from the general public.’
And another said: ‘Keep your phone in your pocket.
‘Standing at the side of the road waving it about is not going to end well.
‘London is full of vermin.’
The snatch is just one of thousands that have been occurring across the capital, the fairly new criminal practice has become part of a £50million-a-year crimewave which sees thugs speeding around corners on scooters and bikes taking expensive phones from innocent citizens.
A shocking 66,528 phones were stolen in London in the year leading up to September 2024, according to Met Police statistics.
And over the same period in Westminster, 22,253 thefts were reported, equating to 85.4 incidents per every 1,000 people.
Discussing the problem, Paul, who works by the London Eye, previously told MailOnline: ‘I see it all the time. I would say every day. It’s worst around this touristy part of London – particularly along Westminster Bridge.
MailOnline’s new map shows the apparent routes young crooks are taking on a regular basis in and around Hyde Park
‘It happens to tourists a lot because they’re unaware. I try to warn them but it doesn’t always work.
‘One time, a family asked someone to take a photo of them in front of the London Eye. And the guy they chose ran off with their phone.
‘Usually though, they come past on their bikes and snatch the phone before anyone has a chance to react. It’s a real issue.’
The 51-year-old said he sees the same culprits at work repeatedly, adding: ‘There are groups of them who are here all the time,’ Paul said. ‘The police know about them.
‘I’ve had them trying to steal my phone too. Even though they know that I know who they are. It’s bold.’
Ovye, who works for a bus tour company, said the thieves target ‘anyone’ – and that even children aren’t off limits.
He said: ‘It can happen to anyone. I once saw someone snatch a phone out of a little girl’s hand while she was taking a picture. She can’t have been more than four years old. Unbelievable.’
The Met Police have been approached for comment.
