A gang of alleged shoplifters were arrested after members of the public pulled them from their BMW before they could make an escape.
The video, which surfaced on social media, showed the shoplifters filling their car up with “high value goods” they had stolen from Tesco.
It was filmed in Waltham Abbey where it is understood they stole electrical goods worth around £3,000.
Two passers-by filmed the group as they piled the goods into their car before attempting to make a getaway.
But they were stopped in their tracks after several men ran up to the car and pulled them from their vehicle before police arrived at the scene.
According to reports, the gang of alleged thieves pushed a security guard and knocked over a pregnant woman while making a run from the store.
But before they drive away, a group of men storm the vehicle and start demanding the group get out of the car.
After some back and forth, they begin to pull the alleged shoplifters from the car as they attempt to fight back.
Witnesses are heard saying “call the police” as a Tesco security worker arrives and attempts to open the boot.
The men manage to get the three alleged shoplifters out of the car but struggle to restrain them as one of the trio headbutts one of the men.
Police later arrived on the scene and arrested two of the men, aged 17 and 27, on suspicion of theft.
They have been released on conditional bail and have been banned from the Tesco store.
Detective Chief Inspector Alan Blakesley, of our West Local Policing Area, said: “We’re acutely aware of the impact theft has on our businesses and we work extremely hard, first and foremost, to respond to incidents when they happen and make arrests and, secondly, to ensure businesses are supported by our dedicated business crime team when they feel they would benefit from that independent advice.
“In this case, officers from our community policing team arrived quickly to make arrests and we thank all members of the public who reported the incident to us.”
According to LBC, the group of men who restrained the alleged thieves were a group of undercover investigators who were on their lunch break nearby, but this has not been confirmed.
A spokesman for Tesco said: “We are aware of an incident which occurred at our Waltham Abbey Superstore and we are assisting police with their inquiries.”
