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A commuter has become the latest victim in a spate of violent thefts and attempted robberies targeting people with high-value-watches.
The unidentified man was at Earl’s Court on Monday afternoon when he was chased around the Tube station despite there being dozens of witnesses.
The terrified passenger picks up a leaflet stand to fend off another man in a long black coat sending paper flying through the air.
He then swings another passenger into the pursuer’s path to put some distance between them.
He finally escapes when he forces his way through a wide aisle ticket barrier and the brazen suspect fails to push through after him.
The suspect was then pinned down by members of the public before being arrested on suspicion of three counts of common assault.
A second clip shows Transport for London (TfL) staff and two men pinning the alleged thief down as he screams for help.
Police haven’t revealed a motive but witnesses claimed the man was trying to snatch a watch.
A video of the incident was posted to TikTok, with user Sye captioning it: ‘Bro was trying to steal his watch.’
It came as Scotland Yard revealed that the most sought after watches by thieves were Rolex, followed by Cartier, Omega and Patek Philipp, which can sell for more than £10million for their pricier pieces.
In 2024, an average of 21 luxury watches were reported missing in the UK each day increasing year-on year from 19 per day in 2022-2023 and 12 per day in 2021.
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Gangs in London dubbed ‘Rolex rippers’ are said to be stealing the watches to order.
There have been several shocking incidents in London, with police even launching undercover operations in Soho where they pretend to be wealthy tourists to bait thieves.
British Transport Police (BTP) said: ‘Officers were called at around 1.40pm yesterday [Monday] to a report of a man attacking staff and a member of the public at Earl’s Court Underground station.
‘Members of the public had detained the man prior to police arrival and a man, aged 20, was arrested on suspicion of three counts of common assault and taken into custody.
Top tips for owners of luxury watches
As part of their campaign to drive down high value watch thefts, the Met has given some advice to owners.
If your watch has been stolen, don’t risk your personal safety but call 999
Take a picture of your watch for insurance purposes
Think about property-marking and registering it on a property register database
Pay attention to who’s around you when you’re out and about
Keep your valuables out of sight
Where possible, plan your route before travelling
‘Although enquiries are ongoing, there is currently no suggestion that the incident was related to an attempted watch theft.’
A TfL spokesperson added to Metro: ‘Everyone should feel safe and be safe when travelling in London. We are investigating this footage and we encourage anyone who witnessed or experienced this incident to report this to the BTP.’
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
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