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Video: Would-be thief tries to snatch bike from moving car in South London

Attempted theft happened on Tower Bridge Road on Sunday afternoon

A would-be bike thief in London was filmed this weekend in one of the most brazen attempts we’ve ever seen to steal a bicycle – given it was attached to a moving car.

The attempted theft happened on Sunday afternoon on Tower Bridge Road, with the bike’s owner, Musa, being given a lift home by his girlfriend Chloe after taking part in the London Revolution, reports Mail Online.

The thief, himself riding a bike, twice loosens the fastenings securing the Mekk Primo bike to the car’s rear rack.

Chloe told the newspaper: “Musa is doing the London Revolution bike ride this weekend, so he'd just finished 80 odd miles that day.

“I picked him up from Lee Valley and we were driving down Tower Bridge Road.

'There were quite a lot of traffic lights so we kept stopping and starting.

“When I noticed a guy cycling along behind me, I thought he was a bit close to the back of the car.

“But I just thought he was being silly - because if I had to brake, then he was going to hit me.

“I thought: well he can do what he likes - he's only putting himself in danger.

“The next thing I knew, we were at the last set of lights before you accelerate onto the dual carriageway, and I heard a beep from the car behind us.

“As I looked into my rear view mirror, that's when I saw the cyclist twiddling the top fastening of the bike. Just then, the light went green so I started to accelerate.

“From what I could see, the bike was still attached - so I decided to carry on because I knew he wouldn't be able to keep up with the car.”

The man dropped his own bike and ran after the car as it approached the Old Kent Road roundabout in a final, desperate bid to steal Musa’s Mekk.

“He tried to chase us for quite a while before giving up,” said Chloe. “Then, once we'd got a few hundred yards down the road, I pulled over because I could see the bike was slipping.

“I think he'd been watching from somewhere - probably because he knew there were a lot of traffic lights and I'd probably have to stop,” she continued.

The footage has been sent to the police, and Chloe added: “The focus for us is to try and catch the guy - but we also want to warn other cyclists and car owners to be vigilant.

“Musa has a lot of cycling friends who would be similarly gutted if their racing bikes were to be stolen.”

Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.

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39 comments

Avatar
Tommytrucker | 6 years ago
9 likes

Would've loved the driver to have slammed the brakes on once he started running after the car.

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KevM | 6 years ago
21 likes

Just reverse over the cnut...he was on a bike, you'd have got off scott-free.

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Filliny | 6 years ago
3 likes

I allways have simple code lock cable on my thule rack hatch back mount - cos its too easy to steal bike from it... o need to watch out all the time)

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CXR94Di2 | 6 years ago
4 likes

What a little shit,. Only positive aspect he caught nicely on video

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elyobelyob replied to CXR94Di2 | 6 years ago
7 likes

CXR94Di2 wrote:

What a little shit,. Only positive aspect he caught nicely on video

Unfortunately, nothing will happen. Even if the police give a toss, the CPS won't.

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OldRidgeback | 6 years ago
0 likes

My brother had some MTBs stolen from the rack on his car when he just went inside the house for  a minute. Yep, a cable lock is a good idea. The thieves who took my brother's bike and his son's then came back over the fence a month or so later, to get the replacement bikes from the shed.

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StuInNorway | 6 years ago
1 like

I'd have gone slow to see how long it took him to realise he wasn't going to succeed as my bike rack has locking clamps for all bikes, and a locking clamp to the towball. It would also mean he'd failed to spot the backup (and discretely located) thick cable-lock low down on the frames.
 

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Gourmet Shot | 6 years ago
4 likes

lols.....I admire his determination.

If I was the car behind I defo would have driven over his wheel, buckling it for good.

 

 

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ChrisB200SX | 6 years ago
4 likes

Shame he didn't fall off his own bike and smash his face into the tarmac.

Kinda wish someone would have stolen his bike while he was running after the better one.

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ChrisB200SX replied to StuInNorway | 6 years ago
0 likes

StuInNorway wrote:

I'd have gone slow to see how long it took him to realise he wasn't going to succeed as my bike rack has locking clamps for all bikes, and a locking clamp to the towball. It would also mean he'd failed to spot the backup (and discretely located) thick cable-lock low down on the frames.
 

Just fast enough to keep him running for a few miles.

Or, slowly increasing the speed and then slamming on the brakes suddenly so he runs into the back of the car and knocks himself out?

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Awavey replied to ChrisB200SX | 6 years ago
8 likes
ChrisB200SX wrote:

Shame he didn't fall off his own bike and smash his face into the tarmac.

Kinda wish someone would have stolen his bike while he was running after the better one.

You assume it was 'his' bike he was riding in the first place...

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Critchio | 6 years ago
12 likes

He'll get a small a fine at court that he can't pay because he doesn't work and a community order to do unpaid work which he will fail to turn up for. Nevermind his 73 previous convictions, social pressures caused him to stray from the path bless him.

I would have shot him in the head. One less scumbag for the rest of us to keep. Ok I wouldn't have shot him. Because I don't have a gun.

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HalfWheeler | 6 years ago
7 likes

If I was in the car behind I'd have driven over his bike.

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Dr_Lex replied to HalfWheeler | 6 years ago
1 like

HalfWheeler wrote:

If I was in the car behind I'd have driven over his bike.

Since "his" bike is unlikely to be legally his, I think I'd have taken in to the cop shop and hoped that either he was stupid enough to try & recover it or they'd reunite it with its rightful owner.

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Sub5orange | 6 years ago
1 like

Looks quite out of breath chasing  after the car. Lol. Love how the person in the car behind did not even beeb. Was probably too busy on his Mobile. I think  I would have been tempted to run over the thug's bike but that probably does not belong to him neither ....

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SingleSpeed | 6 years ago
0 likes

I still don't get why at no point did the driver not get out and confront him

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Rider X replied to SingleSpeed | 6 years ago
10 likes

SingleSpeed wrote:

I still don't get why at no point did the driver not get out and confront him

Perhaps because getting a knife in the gut is not worth making a point to someone who isn't going  listen?

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srchar replied to Critchio | 6 years ago
7 likes

Critchio wrote:

He'll get a small a fine at court that he can't pay because he doesn't work and a community order to do unpaid work which he will fail to turn up for.

This. I had a bike nicked in broad daylight from under the giant screen in Canary Wharf. They used a car jack to break the D-lock. Luckily, a policeman spotted the 5'4 thief riding a 60cm road bike down Poplar high street in jeans and trainers and gave chase. I got my bike back after it had been crashed causing £400 of damage. For some reason the court decided the thief should pay half of this. Did I ever see that £200? Did I fuck.

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SingleSpeed replied to Rider X | 6 years ago
1 like

Rider X wrote:

Perhaps because getting a knife in the gut is not worth making a point to someone who isn't going  listen?

 

Guess they just don't make 'em like they used to, or Londoners are cut from a different cloth from a scouser but that lanky streak of piss would have been on the deck before he could have said boo to a goose if that was my bike!

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davel replied to SingleSpeed | 6 years ago
10 likes
SingleSpeed wrote:

Rider X wrote:

Perhaps because getting a knife in the gut is not worth making a point to someone who isn't going  listen?

 

Guess they just don't make 'em like they used to, or Londoners are cut from a different cloth from a scouser but that lanky streak of piss would have been on the deck before he could have said boo to a goose if that was my bike!

With Bad to the Bone playing on your car radio and a convertible-load of underwear models coming over and giving you their numbers cos of how macho you are.

Yeah, it's easy on the Internet, eh?

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don simon fbpe | 6 years ago
3 likes

Sort that bloody saddle out, nose is definitely pointing too far north!

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vonhelmet replied to SingleSpeed | 6 years ago
2 likes

SingleSpeed wrote:

I still don't get why at no point did the driver not get out and confront him

Judging by the voices the lady in the car only noticed in the last ten seconds or so, by which point they'd driven off.

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SNS1938 | 6 years ago
0 likes

I mostly lock my bikes to my Thule racks, but will make sure I do 100% of the time now. What a douche.

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Christopher TR1 | 6 years ago
2 likes

Something about his appearance. He just looks like a retard scum piece of worthless shite, even before his thieving fingers start going about their evil business. This creature needs to be deleted from the gene pool!

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jds_1981 | 6 years ago
0 likes

No one else notice that this guy appeared to have a buddy?

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hampsoc replied to jds_1981 | 6 years ago
0 likes

jds_1981 wrote:

No one else notice that this guy appeared to have a buddy?

Good spot!

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kitsunegari | 6 years ago
0 likes

The police, as usual, won't give a shit.

Lesson learned hopefully to the bike owner though - I never put my bikes on the rack without a couple of locks. A long cable for the wheels, and a D-Lock to the rack.

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ChainedToTheWheel | 6 years ago
0 likes

"Hey, you wanna buy a cheap bike, innit? I took it up Ventoux, right, but now I want sumfin more aero like, innit?"

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griggers | 6 years ago
2 likes

Rear view mirror?

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crazy-legs replied to griggers | 6 years ago
3 likes

griggers wrote:

Rear view mirror?

If the back of the car was piled high with bags etc, the driver/passenger may not have noticed. Car behind hooting could be anything so they may not have been craning their necks round to find out what it was.

If it was my car and I'd ahve seen it happening, I'd have accelerated to a speed the guy could just about keep up with then slammed the brakes on and hit reverse.

"terribly sorry officer, a cat ran into the road and I had to brake hard. reverse? no, must be mistaken, he ended up underneath the car like that"

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