A disability nurse's electric bike was stolen in broad daylight outside a Co-op store in west London, with the thief reportedly sticking his tongue out at her as she attempted to chase him. Kelly Regan, 30, had left her navy Momentum electric bike, valued at over £1,000, outside the Co-op near Chiswick station. As the thief rode away on the bike, Ms. Regan screamed at him, but she stated he smiled at her.
Ms. Regan pursued the thief, losing her flip-flops and sustaining blisters from the hot pavement during the chase, which extended for approximately 300 meters. A father and son in a car also pursued the thief and captured video footage of the incident. The video showed the thief, described as being around 6ft 2in with an athletic build, attempting to conceal his face as he rode the bicycle.
Following the chase, Ms. Regan was bandaged by a veterinarian who also helped collect her belongings that had fallen from her bag and charged her phone. Ms. Regan described feeling distressed and realizing she could not catch the thief, noting blood on her feet.
Ms. Regan reported that the Co-op informed her they had high-quality CCTV footage of the thief's face but could not share it directly with her, as such evidence is only accessible to the police. She was told by authorities that there would be a five-day waiting period for the Metropolitan Police to determine if an officer would be assigned to her case. A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police later confirmed that officers had received the CCTV footage from the shop and that inquiries were ongoing, though no arrests had been made.
Ms. Regan stated that this was the second time her electric bike had been stolen in Chiswick, with a previous incident occurring in March of the previous year where her bike was stolen from outside a yoga studio. In that instance, the thief cut her lock while she was inside the studio, and the theft remained unsolved as police had not requested the CCTV footage at that time.
"You work hard for your money and then this happens," Ms. Regan told the Daily Mail. She recounted that she had only stepped away from her bike for about a minute to buy a bottle of water during a heatwave when the theft occurred.
An Airtag tracking device that Ms. Regan had placed in the stolen bike was found discarded in a nearby road later that evening. She expressed feelings of vulnerability, stating, "I'm definitely looking over my shoulder more and more." She added, "I felt much safer when I first moved to Chiswick."
A Metropolitan Police spokesman acknowledged that thefts like this are a concern for residents and visitors in the Chiswick area and across London. They added that as part of their 'New Met for London' plan, they are continuing to address neighborhood crimes and noted that theft across London has decreased by 21 percent since April of the previous year.