Man goes ‘full baboon’ to confront Leeds bike thieves in Headingley

A man who challenged would-be bike thieves and was threatened with an angle grinder said he went “full baboon” during efforts to prevent the theft.

Alex Morris, from Leeds, had just sat down with a coffee at a cafe in Headingley on 10 November when he noticed two motorbikes being ridden by three men wearing balaclavas.

One of the men then began to attempt to cut the lock on an e-bike left in a rack, with Mr Morris leaving the cafe and remonstrating with them.

West Yorkshire Police said officers recorded the incident as a common assault, with investigations continuing.

Mr Morris said he saw the three men on motorbikes at the junction of Otley Road and North Lane.

“They came straight up on the pavement and spent half a minute or so surveying this bike that was in the rack outside,” he recalled.

“Then low and behold, one of the lads jumps off the pillion position and goes over to the bike rack and starts going at it.”

Mr Morris said at that point he walked outside while calling police.

“I took a couple of steps forward and just started screaming at the top of my voice while on the phone,” he said.

Mr Morris said his attempts distracted a man attempting to cut the bike lock with an electric angle grinder, who then “brandished” it at him.

“I just think my only option here is to go full baboon and start screaming, shouting and swearing,” he said.

“Then they take the decision that fleeing is the better option.”

West Yorkshire Police appealed for anyone who witnessed the attempted theft or had any footage to get in touch.

A force spokesperson added: “Tackling neighbourhood crime remains a challenge across all our communities in Leeds.

“We do however have dedicated teams working in the district who are responsible for investigating crimes such as burglary, robbery, vehicle and retail crime, as well as anti-social behaviour.”