This is the horrifying moment a knife-wielding thief chases after a driver whose phone he had just stolen using a ten-inch blade.
The victim caught the shocking scenes on his dashcam in Dagenham, east London, as he bravely tried to get an image of the robber to help police.
The 36-year-old wanted to sell a brand new unopened iPhone 14 Pro Max and offered it for sale on selling site Shpock before agreeing a normal price.
But when it came to the handover, the buyer got into his car and then pointed the knife towards his neck and told him to hand it over.
The victim says he was left fuming after the robbery because more than two weeks later the crook has still not been arrested.
A man who had his new iPhone robbed from him in east London, caught a video of the thief on his dashcam as the knife-wielding thug chased after him
A message exchange on the selling site Shpock shows that the victim agreed to sell his iPhone 14 Pro Max for £1,025
The victim put his iPhone for sale on Shpock and agreed the £1,025 price from a user called Michael A.
The new phone, which was still in its packaging, was unwanted and the man decided to sell it as he has a baby due in April and needed to take time off from his job as a delivery driver to help his wife.
He and ‘Michael A’ agreed to meet by a primary school in Dagenham, east London, on March 3, where the man could buy the phone, putting the money straight into the seller’s account.
The victim drove there and waited in a residential road next to a primary school for ‘Michael’ to turn up.
Seconds before the meeting, the victim said he started to feel uneasy when he was receiving texts from the buyer but could see he was also on the phone as he walked towards his car.
Describing what happened, he explained: ‘When he got into the car he said ‘Can I see the phone?’
‘He had a look, then asked for the IMEI number which I gave to him to check.
‘Once that was done he said ”alright then, give me the phone” and he took out the knife.
The victim risked his safety to capture this clear image of the thug who chased after him while waving a knife
‘It was an 8-10 inch knife, a proper steel blade, military grade. Like one you’d see in a movie.
‘He took it out and he kept saying ‘Give it to me’ and I said ‘You will take it just like that?’ and he said ‘Yeah, just like that’ then he put one hand on my shoulder and pointed the knife towards my neck. I thought ”This has gone too far.”
‘I was shocked as I’d never been in a similar situation before.’
The robber left and ran up the road, at which point the victim noticed a car loitering nearby.
He believes those in the car were with the thief and part of a gang in the area robbing people of brand new iPhones.
Knowing he needed to get a clear image of the thug for the police, and remembering he had a dash cam, he gave chase, following the robber as he ran away up the road.
But in shocking scenes, the criminal then turned around and chased him, waving the knife in the air and running down the middle of the street.
It was only when the stolen phone fell from his pocket that he stopped to pick it up – and the victim reversed and managed to drive away.
An unopened iPhone 14 Pro Max (pictured) often sells online for just over £1,000
The victim, who wishes to remain anonymous, said: ‘I knew that the police wouldn’t be able to do anything unless I got an image of his face, so I was thinking ”All I need to do now is get a photo of him”, so I followed him in my car.
‘I was very shaken up by it. I realised that I could actually have got killed.
‘I was shaking when the police came. The police put a patrol in the area, I got in their car and we went round looking for him.
‘They got Ring footage, took my statement, but this man is still out and about.
‘It has been ten days, with a clear picture, proper evidence, Ring footage, and still they haven’t caught him.
‘What else can a regular citizen like me do? Go out and catch him for the police and bring him to them?
‘I give myself credit. I’m a normal guy. I couldn’t do any more.’
‘We have a massive crisis among our young men. These people get caught, they get short sentences and then they get out and do it again.
‘They do it again because they’re not scared and the law and enforcement doesn’t work.’
He wrote to London Mayor Sadiq Khan about the crime but says he is convinced no-one will be arrested for it.
The thief initially runs at the car before turning back around and heading back up the road
After continuing driving down the road, the thug turns around and starts running at the car with a knife (pictured: the moment the new iPhone falls out of his pocket)
Before robbing the victim, the thief first tried to lowball the seller with a bid of £995
‘If they were going to arrest him they would have done it by now,’ he added.
‘It seems like they will only do something when someone is actually stabbed and they are in the news.’
A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police said: ‘Police are investigating a report that a man was threatened with a knife by a man who stole his phone in Bromhall Road, Dagenham, at around 14:40hrs on Friday, 3 March.
‘Officers responded at the time, however the suspect had already left the area.
‘Officers investigating the incident are currently pursuing a number of inquiries in an attempt to identify the suspect, including work relating to the vehicle the suspect left the scene in and location of the stolen phone.
‘This remains an active investigation and the victim is being kept up to date regarding any developments.’
DailyMail
