Phone theft: Passers-by help police arrest man in City of London

A man suspected of snatching mobile phones from members of the public has been arrested seconds after a phone was stolen, thanks to members of the public and a nearby police patrol unit.

City of London Police said two men on electric bikes were spotted on CCTV riding up Ludgate Hill towards St Paul’s Cathedral late on Tuesday.

The first suspect was captured stealing a phone from a woman, but managed to evade officers.

The second suspect turned back in the direction of where the phone was stolen. Members of the public, who witnessed the phone snatching, slowed him down allowing officers to arrest him.

Police recovered a phone and are now trying to find who it belongs to. It is a silver iPhone with two distinctive stickers on the back. One sticker is from the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York dated the 7 October.

Officers said they were still trying to track down and arrest the first suspect, but the arrested man had been bailed pending further investigations.

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