Motorcyclist ‘wrestles machete off armed robbers’ as they chase him through street

Horrified witness says incident was ‘one of the worst things’ they have ever seen

Two motorcyclists armed with a hammer and machete chase a motorbike rider in central London (vikki_hughes/Twitter)

A pair of robbers wielding a machete and a hammer have been filmed chased a motorcyclist through a busy London street as shocked onlookers watch on.

The biker managed to wrestle a large, jagged knife off one of the attackers when they tried to take his vehicle from him near Elephant and Castle roundabout at 6pm on Sunday.

Witnesses said the motorcyclist, who was wearing a purple jacket, repeatedly tried to ride away on his bike but the pair of robbers did not let him.

Video shows the moment the intended victim ran across the street holding the machete while the attackers circled him and pursued him with a hammer.

They then did a U-turn and fled the scene, soon crashing the moped which resulted in cheers from the crowd, according to witnesses.

One onlooker told MailOnline: “I was walking back to Elephant and Castle, and something didn’t feel right.

“There was a bike on the floor, and another facing the wrong way. I was walking with my aunt, and I said ‘that man’s got a knife’, I could see the long blade... I just thought I was going to see someone die.”

The witness, who lives in the Gloucestershire countryside, added: “It was one of the worst things I have ever seen. I just need to go back to the countryside.”

A second video shows a man in his suit helping the pursued motorcyclist back onto his bike, as he takes the machete off him.

Vikki Hughes who posted the video, wrote: “The gentleman holding the knife here IS NOT the attacker. He got out his car and was helping the motorcyclist.”

One witness told the Evening Standard that the robbers had “no fear”, adding: “It was crazy to try something at such a busy junction. A lot of people were around coming from different directions. The atmosphere was so still and tense.”

A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said officers were called to “an altercation on London Road involving weapons” shortly after 6pm.

They added: “Officers were quickly on scene but those involved had fled on mopeds. A machete was recovered. There were no reports of any injuries and enquiries are ongoing.”

Boxing legend Amir Khan earlier accused the Mayor of London of keeping to keep London’s streets safe, after the former world champion was robbed at gunpoint when out with his wife last week.

Sadiq Khan responded by saying that Mr Khan is “in [his] thoughts”, adding: “As the mayor I speak to victims of crime on a regular basis and it is really distressing when you’ve been robbed and I understand his anger, I understand his fear.”