By William Cole For Mailonline

Published: 07:47 EDT, 27 July 2021 | Updated: 12:54 EDT, 27 July 2021

This is the moment a cyclist confronted brazen thieves trying to steal an expensive motorbike in broad daylight.

Footage shows a gang of masked men - one wielding an angle grinder - as they try to cut free a £13,000 Honda Africa Twin bike on an east London street.

The dramatic theft however ended in failure when bystanders pushed the would-be thief and bike over as he tried to ride it away before calling police on them.

The filmer said all  four of the men managed to flee the scene, with one leaving behind a white Nike trainer. It is believed police are investigating the incident.

The astonishing video was captured by a semi-professional cyclist who gave his name as James Richards, who lives nearby.

A cyclist who gave his name as James Richards told MailOnline he confronted a masked man wielding an angle grinder who 'came at me with it' on a street in Spitalfields, City of London

The dramatic theft however ended in failure when bystanders pushed the would-be thief and bike over as he tried to ride it away before calling police on them (a photo taken by James of the bike with the thief's white Nike trainer). It is believed City of London police are investigating the incident

The 34-year-old was walking home from cycle training when he spotted the group of men surrounding a bike parking bay in the Spitalfields area of the city.

'I was walking back from training and came across a white van and two mopeds parked in the road outside Tracey Emin's old house,' he told MailOnline.

Mr Richards said it soon became clear that the men, two of whom were on mopeds, were planning to cut through the bike's three locks and then load it into a white van they had waiting nearby.

'I automatically began filming. There was a man angle grinding the chain off a large sport bike.

'I wanted to film their faces so I went toward the two mopeds, I then approached the man with the angle grinder at which point he came at me with it.

'I wasn't really afraid, they're just idiot kids. I think they didn't want the hassle.

'Their plan was to load the bike into the white van, however the van and one of the mopeds drove away as it became clear I was calling the police and filming, leaving two men and a single moped on their own.'

After the video clip ended James said he called the police as the man with the angle grinder desperately tried to cut through the bike's third lock.

By now a group of 'three or four people' had gathered at the scene, and is believed to have included collaborative art duo Gilbert and George who live nearby and came across the incident.

Mr Richards' footage shows a gang of masked men as they try to cut free a £13,000 Honda Africa Twin bike

Mr Richards said it soon became clear that the men, two of whom were on mopeds, were planning to cut through the bike's three locks and then load it into a white van waiting nearby

After the video clip ended Mr Richards said he called the police as the man with the angle grinder desperately tried to cut through the bike's third lock 

'They were just innocent bystanders, it's their neighbourhood,' added Mr Richards.

He said he and 'another chap' then waited for the thief to cut through the lock before getting on to the bike - before the pair pushed him over to rescue the bike.

'He must have finished cutting the third lock and then looked up to see all his friends had gone,' said James. 'I don't know what he was thinking because he had no way of starting it so couldn't ride off on his own.'

'He managed to get away and ran off but left his white Nike trainer.

'The police turned up very quickly after this but all they thieves had scarpered. They took his trainer away for DNA evidence.' 

Mr Richards added that it was not the first time he had witnessed an attempted bike theft in his neighbourhood. 

'These are not locals, they are people coming into the area to steal bikes. I've seen it happen on that street before, there are usually expensive bikes parked up there.'

In the year to June 2019, Metropolitan Police received 5,940 reports of motorcycle theft, down from a high of 7,688 the year before.

A Met Police spokesman said: 'Police were called at 11:37hrs following reports of a group of males attempting to steal a motorcycle.

'A member of the public intervened and the males then fled prior to police arrival.

'There have been no arrests; enquiries continue.'

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