A viral video is circulating that claims to show an attempted child abduction in broad daylight on a busy street in London. In the video, two men wearing motorcycle helmets appear to accost a woman and her child as they walked down the busy street.
TLDR; The video is genuine and was taken in the Richmond area of West London on June 21st 2018, but police have confirmed it most likely shows an attempted robbery, not an attempted child abduction.
The full video (below) shows four men wearing motorcycle helmets, two drivers and two passengers. Halfway through the video – which was taken from a private gate security camera – the two drivers disappear, leaving the two passengers, who approach a young woman and her child.
One of the men grabs the woman’s arm. The woman can be seen pulling her arm and child away, while backing onto a busy road in an attempt to flee her attackers. Soon after, as the attackers walk away, three men from a lorry that had stopped attempt to chase the men, which happens out of shot.
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Upon a cursory glance, it may seem like the men were attempting to steal the woman’s child, since they grab her arm near where she is holding her child’s hand, and the woman instinctively jerks her child away from the attackers. As such, the video has been circulating prolifically on the Internet along with the caption that it shows a would-be child abduction.
The video is definitely real, but police have confirmed they are investigating the incident as a robbery, not an attempted child abduction. A spokesperson for the Metropolitan police said,
Police were called at 12.35pm on Thursday, 21 June to Sandpits Road in Petersham after a woman was approached by four men on a black moped and motorbike who demanded her jewellery.
They threatened her and a young child who was with her. No injuries were reported. No weapon was seen, although it was intimated. Members of the public went to the woman’s assistance and the suspects fled empty-handed. The suspects were all wearing black clothing.
Child abductions in the UK are rare, but they do happen, so those with children are advised to be especially careful when outdoors. However this video does not show an attempted abduction. Armed robberies using motorcycles however, are increasingly prolific in London as criminals have taken to scooters, mopeds and motorbikes to rob victims in the UK capital.
carrying out such crimes.
If you have any information pertinent to the video above, you can contact UK’s Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 quoting reference 3542/21Jun.