EXCLUSIVE Hero who stopped phone snatcher in his tracks with fearsome body check reveals why he stepped in - as thief faces jail
A heroic Londoner who fearlessly tackled a phone snatcher off his bike has revealed why he stepped in, as the thief is set to face jail.
Alex, originally from New Zealand, was on his lunch break from work when he said he first spotted a cyclist that he described as looking 'slightly off'.
Speaking to MailOnline about his initial scepticism towards the 'slow moving' cyclist, he said: 'The way he turned around slowly and then did a quick U-turn on his bike looked slightly off to me.
'He looked as though he was perched on a road corner and doing laps in an attempt to pinch phones. I suspected that a phone snatch was about to occur'.
In fact, Alex had laid eyes on Spencer Duarte, of Saffron Walden. On Monday, he admitted to one count of theft at Inner London Crown Court and will be sentenced on September 12.
Having witnessed the 28-year-old make a swipe at an innocent victim holding their phone in hand, Alex was confronted with a dilemma - he could either choose to confront the robber head on, or continue to walk by as if nothing had happened.
For him, it was a no-brainer. The quick-thinking pedestrian's instincts immediately kicked in and Alex courageously leapt for the phone thief, shoulder-barging him off his bike and into the street.
Recounting the shocking ordeal on August 7 last year, he said: 'It's all a bit of a blur, but I remember seeing him make the attempt at snatching the phone and quickly leapt out at him. It all happened so fast.
After witnessing the 28-year-old make a swipe at an innocent victim holding their phone in hand, Alex said his instincts kicked in and he courageously leapt for the phone thief, quickly shoulder-barging him off his bike and into the street
'The side of my face hit the ground quite hard as I fell but I managed to get back up and later grabbed him by his bag straps and that's when he decided to flee without the bike. His bag then ripped but I threw it to the side and kept chasing him'.
In shocking CCTV footage, Alex is captured tackling the robber off his e-bike, knocking the pair of them into the road at Ludgate Hill, London.
Duarte, who initially stood up and was able to get back on his bike, was then chased down by Alex and the victim. Cornered on the side of the pavement, he was pulled from his bike a second time as he attempted to flee.
Dressed in a fluorescent top and helmet, the thief then proceeded to run across the road away from the furious Londoners.
In a last minute attempt at halting the robber, another threepedestrians reached out to try and grab hold of Duarte, who darted at speed between the different men before making a successful exit down the road.
Alex, who said that he was not fearful of Duarte and made a quick momentary 'cost-benefit decision' regarding the level of risk, said that the group of furious Londoners then all banded together to call the police.
Dubbed the 'Cinderella phone snatcher', Duarte was eventually caught for his crimes as a result of the DNA found on a shoe he lost in the ensuing struggle.
Insisting that he would not hesitate from making a similar decision in the future, Alex said: 'Its a tough trade off but on that day all the things lined up well and I made the decision in a few seconds.
'I looked at the traffic levels and didn't feel threatened by Duarte so made that choice within a matter of seconds.
'My jaw took a bit of a knock and was sore for a little while, but it was an easy win.'
After giving a brief witness statement to the Metropolitan Police officers who instantly descended on the scene, Alex then went back to the nearby lunch cafe before returning to his office to continue his normal day at work.
'I told my colleagues what had happened and they were amazed, but that was the end of it really. I was hoping that the interaction would have left Duarte scared straight and meant he would never do anything like that again', he said.
The fearless Londoner also recounted speaking briefly with the phone thief victim that had been understandably 'left shaken' by the ordeal but had endlessly 'thanked' him for his help.
Feeling that members of the public have a responsibility to intercept the growing numbers of phone snatchers that continue to terrorise the capital's streets, Alex added: 'crime is happening all of the time around us and I feel like if you see a crime happening and have an ability to stop it, then you should'.
However, he stressed that choosing to make such a daring call can come with risks that should certainly be considered.
He said: 'I guess you have to make that judgement as obviously you don't want to put yourself at risk or simply go around assaulting people without being certain of what their intentions are.
'You also have to be somewhat confident that members of the public will assist you. In this case, all of those things came together and we worked well together.
'But even if you can't physically get involved, you can always assist by pulling your phone out and getting some video footage. Everyone can do a bit more, even if its just making sure to report these things when they happen.'
Andrew Walker, physical forensics manager of the City of London Police, described how Duarte was ultimately caught as a result of his trainer being left at the scene after the public brawl.
He said: 'We were able to get sufficient levels of DNA from the shoe to obtain a single, major profile that was suitable for searching against the national DNA database.
'This search generated a 'hit' to a male whose profile had previously been uploaded.
'The slipper fitted our Cinderella and we were able to bring him before the courts.'
Jake Dean, Police Constable of the City of London Police, said: 'Do not come to the City and think you can steal from residents, workers or visitors without paying the penalty.
'Our targeted patrols, excellent police work and extensive CCTV will mean you will be caught and brought to justice.
'Phone snatching has a significant impact on victims and our key priority has been to reduce the number of phones stolen and relentlessly target those criminals responsible.'
Describing finding out about Duarte's upcoming sentencing as 'bittersweet' Alex acknowledged that the police face an increasingly challenging predicament as they attempt to get the growing rates of London's phone theft under control.
He said: 'I'm sure this puts a tremendous amount of pressure on the police, even if they did catch everyone I'm not sure how they would process all of the crimes. I think we can certainly all do more to help'.
The dramatic video footage comes as the numbers of London phone thefts have reached a record high, with a shocking 37 people daily having their mobile stolen in the capital's West End alone.
New data has revealed that almost 231,000 phone thefts and robberies were recorded over the past four years in the capital, a threefold increase.
The epicentre for these brazen crimes is in the world's theatre capital, the West End, a magnet for tourists where around 40,000 phones were reported stolen over the same period, data by the Metropolitan Police shows.
Phone thefts in London have soared to record levels, with organised gangs targeting busy areas like the West End and St James's, where luxury streets and royal residences sit side by side with swarms of unsuspecting tourists and shoppers.
One major hotspot identified is the area surrounding St James's Park, where Piccadilly and Haymarket meet Pall Mall and Clarence House, home to exclusive members' clubs and high-profile buildings.
Meanwhile, Scotland Yard figures show a staggering 81,256 mobile phone crimes were recorded in 2023, a 20 per cent year-on-year rise, and the highest on record.
Police believe the true number is even higher, as many incidents go unreported.
Senior Scotland Yard bosses previously admitted there was a 'growing and very serious problem' as they struggle to grapple with the 'organised criminal enterprise'.
They revealed how three-quarters of stolen devices in the capital are sent abroad, with vast numbers ending up in both Algeria and China.
Appearing before a House of Commons committee, Metropolitan Police officers said the black market for smartphones was driving rates of theft, robbery and knife crime.
James Conway, the Met Police's lead on phone theft, said the scale of phone theft in London last year had a street value of around £20million.
However, the replacement value of stolen phones for members of the public and insurance companies was estimated at £50million last year.
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