“There was a lot of blood”: Cyclist lauds “absolute hero” security guard attacked with angle grinder while fending off bike thief

A security guard who successfully thwarted a brazen bike thief, and was left “covered in blood” after being attacked by the robber with an angle grinder, has been hailed an “absolute hero” by the cyclist whose bike he saved.

Cyclist Jaume Munte was working in a café on Holywell Lane in Shoreditch, east London, on Wednesday when he was alerted by a colleague that a thief was tempting to steal his bike, a Specialized Allez worth around £1,000, by cutting through the lock with an angle grinder.

Footage of the incident, which took place at around 3pm, in broad daylight on a busy street lined with motorists, has since been uploaded to social media, and shows the guard – who spotted the theft taking place on CCTV – attempting to wrest the bike from the robber.

The thief then motions towards the security guard with his angle grinder, cutting him in the process, as the guard manages to strike him several times with the broken lock.

Believed to have happened recently in the EC2 area. Bike Thief meets his match. No details of the good samaritan. But clearly the bike owner appreciated his efforts.

🎥Sam Butt on FB.@CrimeLdn @obbsie @ediz1975 pic.twitter.com/H52V5XYUsA

— Crime Scene Images London (@csi_london) January 8, 2025

Munte can then be seen in the clip running from the café, at which point the thief flees, dropping his bag in the process. The cyclist briefly gives chase, but soon returns, and gives the guard a well-deserved hug.

Reflecting on the incident, Barcelona-born Munte told the Metro: “My colleague said someone was trying to steal my bike. I ran out and there was a guy with an angle grinder. He had cut off the lock.

“A local security guard had seen the thief on his CCTV and was already out there. He was grabbing the thief who cut him with the angle grinder.

“The guard grabbed my bike lock and swung it at the thief. I piled in and the guy started up the angle grinder again and threatened me with the blade. I heard it whirring and it was frightening, but I was all in by then.

“He then ran off, my reaction was instinctive. I didn’t want to let him get away, even though the security guard had stopped him taking the bike.”

The 27-year-old continued: “The security guard is an absolute hero. He didn’t think of his own safety, what a guy.

“I’m going to buy him a mug with a chocolate egg in it. I’m going to get ‘best security in the world’ written on it.”

Noting that the security guard suffered a deep cut to his hand during the tussle, Munte said: “I’ve spoken to him. He’s okay, but there was a lot of blood. He has a family, but he put himself on the line. He is a top man.

“It was only a bike but we cannot let criminals ruin London.”

A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police has confirmed that no arrests have yet been made in relation to the incident.

“Police were called at 15:00hrs on Wednesday, 8 January to reports of a man injured in Holywell Lane, EC2,” the statement said.

“Officers and the London Ambulance Service attended and found a man suffering an injury to his hand. He was taken to hospital where his injuries were deemed to be non-life-threatening.

“Prior to the attack, the victim confronted a man who he believed was trying to steal a bicycle using an angle grinder.

“The suspect attacked the victim with the angle grinder. The owner of the bike then approached and the suspect fled the scene. No arrests have been made. Enquiries continue.”

> Cyclist reclaims stolen Brompton following "altercation" — as angle grinder bike robber jailed for 33 months

While the security guard has been praised for his swift actions in saving the cyclist’s bike and fending off the thief, last year in a very similar incident police praised the “swift action of witnesses”, but urged the public to consider their safety after another bike thief using an angle grinder was confronted as he cut through a lock.

Last June, George Jhugroo pleaded guilty to charges of robbery and possession of an offensive weapon in a public place in relation to the incident on 28 May 2023.

He was seen using an angle grinder to cut through a lock and steal a Brompton worth £2,000 on Kings Road, near Cavendish Place, on Brighton’s seafront.

The victim and several witnesses saw sparks flying as the 24-year-old from south London removed the lock and members of the public confronted the bike thief, demanding that he stop.

However, Jhugroo continued and became aggressive with those who had stepped in, threatening to assault them with the angle grinder before riding off in the direction of Norfolk Square.

Jim Mortimore eventually got his bike back after Jhugroo was “chased”, “ended up in a scrap”, and was “battered”. Having gone to Royal Sussex County Hospital for treatment later that day, he was intercepted by police officers and arrested. He was later sentenced to 33 months imprisonment for the robbery.

There has been a concerning trend in recent times of bike thieves using angle grinders to easily cut through locks and steal bicycles, footage of incidents regularly appearing on social media and in the press.

> Organised crime gang sentenced for prolific thefts of more than £100,000 worth of bikes

In May 2023, we reported a case involving a 70-year-old London cyclist who managed to fight off a gang of blacked-out bike thieves armed with an angle grinder who attempted to steal his Brompton outside a cafe in broad daylight.

Of course the more common angle grinder theft cases are those involving a lock being cut through. The footage of one such case, filmed outside a busy shopping centre in Surrey Quays, went viral in the autumn of 2021, thieves seen using an angle grinder to steal a Trek bicycle as crowds of shoppers watched on.

The following June, Helen Hayes, the Labour MP for Dulwich and West Norwood almost had her bike taken by an angle grinder bike thief. Fortunately staff working at a nearby restaurant saw what was happening and the suspect fled.