Sledgehammer thief trapped by members of the public

Video: The man smashed a hole through a bank window - only for people to block his exit

(ITN)

Amazing CCTV footage from China shows the moment members of the public banded together to stop a sledgehammer-carrying thief from escaping a bank.

Video shows the 22-year-old robber using a sledgehammer to smash a large hole through the bank teller's glass window at a bank Langfang City. He then climbs through and begins to pace the staff area in search of money.

Fortunately, a quick-thinking member of staff had already hidden most of the money.

"We heard somebody smashing the window when we were working and my first feeling was that it was a robbery, so I called the police as soon as possible and locked all the money into the safety box," the worker told reporters.

Locals heard the commotion and members of the public, as well as bank staff, crowded the atrium of the building so that it became impossible for the robber to escape without being caught by a large number of people.

The man was trapped in the bank until the police arrived and took the 22-year-old into custody.