Dramatic moment police swoop on masked thieves as pair ransack opticians for designer swag
3 June 2024, 12:38
The dramatic moment police swooped on two masked thieves attempting to ransack an opticians in search of designer sunglasses has been caught on camera.
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Footage uploaded to YouTube shows the two balaclava clad thieves using what appears to be a concrete sign base to smash in the glass door of Eye Studio on Chiswick High Road, at 4.19am on April 30.
Recorded on the store's Ring camera, the pair can be seen stepping through the smashed door before helping themselves to armfuls of designer frames and sunglasses.
However, moments later, the Metropolitan Police’s Flying Squad appear in front of the store with tasers drawn, with the two dazed criminals raising their hands before being tackled to the floor by police.
Chiswick. Busted! Thieves' Early Morning Heist Ends in Handcuffs!
Around nine officers from the Met's Serious and Organised Crime Command can be seen descending on the shop, tasers drawn, within minutes of the alarm being raise.
Footage shows the pair aggressively ripping the designer sunglasses from the store's presentation cases, with the masked men shoving their stash into reusable Sainsbury's bags.
Moments later, the thieves drop to the ground as police arrive at the scene, before being restrained by officers and handcuffed.
Police were not required to discharge their weapons.
It's the first time the store has been targeted by thieves in 20 years, according to the store's owner.
“We’ve been lucky because I know the High Road is pretty bad around here. We had some kids grab some Ray-Bans last year but they were just kids,” the owner told The Chiswick Calendar.
The owners are believed to be considering upping security in the store in a bid to avoid future break-ins.
