Video shows man tackling machete-armed thief after robbery

Passer-by attempts to stop one of three men who attacked a jewellery shop with sledgehammers

Video from a jewellery raid shows the dramatic moment a man tackled a machete-wielding robber after a smash-and-grab in Liverpool Street.

The footage, filmed on Thursday, shows a group of three men emerging from the Carr Watches and Diamonds shop after the raid, with one jumping on a moped and another leaving the store with a sledgehammer as he mounts a second scooter.

As the third man runs to catch up with the other two, he is halted slightly by a police officer in plain clothes using his unmarked car to block the group.

At this moment, a man in a suit emerges from the store and jumps on the back of one of the suspects, spinning him round and slowing his escape.

However, the robber can be seen holding a machete which he holds aloft to scare the man off. The police officer then attempts to approach the man but backs away due to the brandishing of the large knife.

Jewellery shop worker, Ish Ahmet, 30, spoke to The Evening Standard about the robbery and the City worker who attempted to chase the men: "It was all a shock, it was over so quickly. The City worker chased after them, it was pure instinct. He tried to grab one.

"It was a brave thing to do. He was tough and is back at work today, he is OK. They came in the shop and then it was a bit of a blur obviously it was a shock for us."

City of London Police confirmed they were called to the Carr Watches and Diamonds shop just outside Liverpool Street station at 2:34pm on Thursday after reports of smash and grab in progress.

Police found three men on two mopeds outside the jewellers, with one officer threatened with a machete when he confronted the robbers.

They followed the suspects to a car park in Gravel Lane, near Aldgate station, where one of the men was arrested, with the machete being recovered.

The two other men remain on the run.