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'HE'S ATTACKING MY GIRLFRIEND'
Victim’s chilling screams as he tackled ‘knife-wielding moped muggers who tried to rip necklace from his lover’s throat’
A MAN on a date screamed "He's attacking my girlfriend" as he fought back against two knife-wielding moped muggers who tried to rip a necklace from the woman's throat, a witness said today.
The sharp-suited victim and his lover were ambushed by two thugs on a motorbike — who tried to STAB the man to steal his watch — but he fought back and pinned one of the alleged thugs to the ground helped by passersby.
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Dramatic video shows the victim and a number of have-a-go-heroes struggling to detain the suspect on a zebra crossing last night in Marylebone, London.
The man in a suit can be seen bending down while pressing the hooded suspect against the tarmac. A woman in a smart dress is among the crowd watching close by.
One of those who raced to help was Brian Devlin, 57. His wife Gillian said they heard screaming outside their home.
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Gillian, 70, told The Sun Online the couple were returning Boris hire bikes to a stand when one of the muggers tried to rip a necklace from the woman’s throat.
She said: “We could hear him shouting ‘he’s attacking my girlfriend, he’s attacking my girlfriend’.
“Brian got his clothes on and ran outside and helped him tackle the guy to the ground.
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“The police were probably here within about five minutes but it felt like an age amid the total chaos going on around us.
“A couple of taxi drivers and several more people all helped pin this guy down.
“The male victim’s trousers were all shredded from where it looked like the guy had tried to stab him.
“We found a big kitchen knife in the road and the woman’s necklace ended up in our yard from where it must have flown through the air when he tried to steal it.
“We ended up with everyone back in our house giving statements to police. It was a terrible incident.”
Footage of the drama was posted on Twitter by taxi driver Mark Parker, who said: "One of the moped scum caught with a little pay back duly deserved."
Police said a man was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and attempted robbery.
The other suspect got away on the motorbike and was being hunted today.
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Witnesses told The Sun Online the couple were on a night out in the West End when they were attacked with what looked like a machete.
Christopher Eaves, 58, said: “People were holding him down and he was shouting ‘let me go you b******s’.
“There was a big knife, it looked like a machete, lying in the road.
“The police were there in a couple of minutes and they handcuffed him on the ground and took his gloves off him.
“There were dozens of people who all stayed to make sure he didn’t get away. It was an incredible response.”
A pensioner whose flat overlooks the scene said the suited victim was helped by around 50 people on the busy central London street.
She said: “There was about 15 people with this man pinned down on the zebra crossing.
“He was pleading with them to let him go and he seemed pretty desperate.
“Within a few minutes the group had grown to about 50 people all stopping to see what they could do.
“The victim was dressed very smartly and everyone was patting him on the back telling him he was a hero.
“When the police came they took off this man’s gloves and put them in an evidence bag. He’d given up struggling by the time they put him in the van.”
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Scotland Yard said: "Police were called at around 10.30pm to George Street, W1, following reports of two males on a motorcycle attacking a couple in the street.
"A male and female were reported to have been threatened by the two suspects, one armed with a knife, in an attempt to steal the male's watch.
"One of the suspects is reported to have attempted to stab the male victim.
"The victim fought back and was assisted by members of the public in detaining the male until police arrived.
"Police attended and arrested a 22-year-old man on suspicion of attempted murder and attempted robbery.
"Neither the male or female victim were injured.
"The male arrested was taken to a central London police station where he currently remains.
"The rider of the motorcycle made off; enquiries are ongoing to trace him."
London has been plagued by an epidemic of moped crime as police were accused of losing control of the streets.
Thugs use stolen scooters to ambush victims and make speedy getaways along rat runs where cops can't follow.
Moped crimes soared 1,000 per cent in three years to more than 16,000 in 2017.
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One prolific gang is said to have carried out 30 robberies in the space of 60 minutes.
Gangs also use mopeds for acid attacks and drugs turf war revenge violence as well as robbery sprees.
Today we told how the murder rate in Lawless London has hit a ten-year high with more than 100 in 2018 so far.
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