Back on the chain gang! Brazen thief uses high-powered angle grinder to break bike lock... then ride off down busy London street on his new prize

  • A brazen thief used an angle grinder to slice through a bicycle lock in Hackney
  • The felon left a stream of sparks as they cut their way through the chain
  • In less than ten seconds, the thief had cut out the lock and made off on the bike
  • A nearby resident filmed the incident claiming that such thefts were regular  

By DARREN BOYLE, DATA JOURNALIST

Published: | Updated:

This is the shocking moment a bike thief uses an angle grinder to steal a bicycle attacked to a railing in east London. 

A nearby resident, who does not wish to be named, filmed the thief using the high-powered tool to slice through the bike's lock. 

The thief was not worried about being seen by members of the public while using the power tool. 

This is the moment a brazen thief uses an angle grinder to slice through a lock in Haggerstown, east London before riding off on the stolen bicycle

This is the moment a brazen thief uses an angle grinder to slice through a lock in Haggerstown, east London before riding off on the stolen bicycle

A fellow cyclist wearing a high-viz jacket looks back at the man as he begins cutting but rides on not wanting to challenge the thief

A fellow cyclist wearing a high-viz jacket looks back at the man as he begins cutting but rides on not wanting to challenge the thief

Moments later the thief makes his escape on the stolen bicycle, followed by an accomplice

Moments later the thief makes his escape on the stolen bicycle, followed by an accomplice 

It appears that the thief had an accomplice on a bicycle acting as a look during the incident. 

As the thief cuts through the lock, the angle grinder fires a long stream of red hot metallic sparks 

The footage was filmed on the junction of Kingsland Road and Dunston Road in Haggerstown, Hackney. 

In the 12 months up to October, a total of 135 bicycles were reported stolen to police. 

The resident, who does not want to be identified told MailOnline: 'It happened before, this guy I presume is the "famous" Dalston bike thief. It's not his first event.

'Nobody interferes really with a man holding an angle grinder.' 

The bicycle was stolen from this offical rack on the junction of Dunston Road and Kingland Road in Haggerstown, Hackney. In the 12 months to October, a total of 135 bicycles were reported stolen in the surrounding area to police

The bicycle was stolen from this offical rack on the junction of Dunston Road and Kingland Road in Haggerstown, Hackney. In the 12 months to October, a total of 135 bicycles were reported stolen in the surrounding area to police

According to Scotland Yard, between 2014 and 2015, around 20,000 bicycles were reported stolen across the capital. 

A spokesperson told MailOnline: 'However, due to the high levels of unreporting of bike theft, the British Crime Survey suggests that the actual figure is nearer 70,000.' 

The Metropolitan Police advises bicycle owners to lock the frame and both wheels to a parking stand in order to make things awkward for a potential thief. 

They also recommend removing parts that are easy to steal. 

A Met spokesman said: 'Get your bike security marked and registered. It’s a highly effective, visible deterrent to bike thieves. They know that if they are caught with a registered bike, the owner can be traced and they will be arrested.

'Remember to record details of your bike such as the frame number (normally found underneath the bike between the pedals or where the back wheel slots in), the BikeRegister number plus any other distinguishing features, and take a photo.' 

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