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Bagged! Fleeing Fendi raiders caught on film
Justin Davenport and Elizabeth Hopkirk1 Apr 2008
Two men roar away on a motorbike clutching handbags worth tens of thousands of pounds in the first picture of a smash and grab gang in action.
They were among six men on three bikes who struck last night at Fendi in Sloane Street - the fifth London designer shop to be targeted in a series of raids in recent weeks.
But their getaway route took them past a crowd of paparazzi waiting outside the Cipriani restaurant in Mayfair.
The photographers were hoping to get pictures of reality TV star Rebecca Loos - instead they saw the bikes race past at speeds of up to 90mph.
Witnesses said they sped through red lights and narrowly missed a baby being pushed across the road in a buggy. One said: "They must have had 20 to 30 bags each. Some were hanging off the bottom of the bikes. You wouldn't believe the speed they were going at. They must have whizzed past me at 80 or 90mph. They went through two red lights and missed a baby by inches.
"His parents were wheeling him across the road and it's only thanks to the dad being so quick-witted and pulling the buggy back really fast that the baby wasn't killed.
"The mother was hysterical. She was in floods of tears. I can't believe the robbers could be so despicable."
Onlookers said the bikes, which are thought to be stolen, sped through Mayfair towards Edgware Road.
The gang struck at around 9.45pm, smashing windows and scooping up armfuls of bags which are worth thousands of pounds each.
Two weeks ago £30,000 of bags were taken from Anya Hindmarch's shop on New Bond Street. It was the fourth time the designer had been targeted, prompting her to consider hiring 24-hour security guards.
Police broke up a number of smash and grab gangs last year. Several people were charged and police recovered stolen motorbikes and mopeds as well as 20 Louis Vuitton handbags worth more than £1,200 each.
Last year there were more than 30 ram raids on boutiques and detectives believe the latest robberies are the work of a new group.
One officer said: "It is not surprising that there is another gang at work, the rewards are so great. You can get tens of thousands, if not more, for a few seconds work."
Police have difficulty in investigating the raids because the bikes are usually stolen and stripped of number plates. The gang always wear helmets which cover their faces.
Reader views (1)
Lovely! What a country...
- Anna Moreno, Luxembourg, 01/04/2008 13:23
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