- A masked man threatened a driver with a machete in North East London
Shocking scenes in it London saw an alleged phone thief knocked off his bike and confronted – before he was quickly joined by his machete-wielding accomplice.
The chaos unfolded in Stratford, North East London, on Sunday, May 5, and was captured on the dashcam of a passing car.
The man, who allegedly stole a cellphone, was sent away after being hit by a car, but was given backup in the form of his friend who brandished the large knife at his attacker.
The video shows the two masked men cycling along the road, with the first passing the dashcam car without incident.
But as the second cyclist cycles past, a car suddenly stops in the same lane as the filming motorcycle on the other side of the road.
The car deliberately crashes into the man's bicycle, sending him flying into a tree, causing him to spin off his bicycle and fall onto the sidewalk.
The car comes to a stop on the other side of the road, while the wounded criminal gets to his feet and runs limping after his friend.
The man, who allegedly stole a phone, was thrown from his bicycle when a car crashed into him
The driver of the gray vehicle then leaves his car and attempts to confront the thief
A masked man appears to defend the thief, armed with a machete to threaten the driver
Seconds later, the alleged thief's partner returns for revenge and quickly cycles back into view with his accomplice at his side.
The driver exits the vehicle and begins shouting at the thugs, but quickly returns after the second masked man pulls out a huge machete and drives towards the driver.
With the cavalry present to support him, the downed criminal grabs the abandoned bicycle from the side of the road and climbs back on.
Footage of the chaotic confrontation was shared on social media yesterday (TUE) with the caption: 'Phone thief hit by car, his partner pulls out machete.
'From a local [Facebook] group in Stratford. It appears the driver recognized the thieves and tried to stop them. No one seems to get hurt, but that's kind of scary.”
The video of the altercation has received more than 2,500 likes and more than 440 comments from social media users stunned by the chaos.
One user said: 'If someone is threatened with a machete there should be an immediate prison sentence for carrying one.'
Another added: 'He had the right idea until he got out of his car.'
A third commented: 'It's one thing to be a disgusting thief but also to carry a machete… absolute bastards.'
Another joked: 'I'm so happy to see the tradition of banditry returning to England. True Elizabethan values.'