Moment robbers who attempted to steal £2,000 watch caught by Flying Squad officers
24 April 2023, 21:55 | Updated: 25 April 2023, 00:27
Dramatic footage shows the moment officers from the Met's Flying Squad swooped in on a group of robbers after they tried to steal a £2,000 watch.
The elite anti-robbery unit caught the group during an a proactive operation in the West End to target criminals, following a spate of watch robberies area.
On Friday, August 12, at around 2am, a 29-year-old man left a bar in Berkley Square after an evening with his friend and got in a taxi to head home.
But, unknown to him, four men were following him close behind in a separate car after noticing that he was wearing a watch worth £2,000.
The Flying Squad watched the group as they followed the victim's taxi back to his home.
Officers had been monitoring the movements of the four men from earlier, as they had been acting suspiciously.
The victim got out of the taxi at 2.20am when he arrived home.
After the cab left, he was grabbed around his neck and put in a chokehold before being violently dragged and pulled to the ground.
Dramatic clip shows Met Police's Flying Squad intercept watch robbers
One of the men then grabbed the victim’s wrist in an attempt to remove his watch, but couldn't work out how to detach the clasp.
After a few minutes the group made off, followed by Flying Squad officers, and all four men were arrested shortly after.
They were sentenced on April 20 at Southwark Crown Court for attempted robbery.
Abukar Aligas, 23, and Abdikafi Omar, 21, of Brent, were sentenced to two years, suspended for two years.
Mahamud Gudal, 22, of no fixed address, received the same sentence.
Zakaria Mohammed, 22, also of Brent, was sentenced to two years and 12 weeks in custody.
Detective Sergeant Gary Taylor who led the investigation said: “I am proud that the proactive work my team does, as demonstrated in this case, resulted in the arrests and the sentencing of these four individuals.
“We are doing everything in our power to ensure London’s streets are safer and that criminals like these are brought to justice. We remain committed to tackling robbery in all its forms.”
