Two teenagers – one allegedly armed with a machete – have been arrested and accused of stealing phones while riding around on e-bikes.
Cops apprehended one of them in the street in front of a crowd of onlookers.
A huge knife was recovered by officers at the scene.
READ MORE: Two middle-aged women have fight on packed bus leaving one with broken glasses
Two mobile phones suspected to have been stolen were also found.
The pair, one, aged 16-years-old, and the other, 18-years-old, were set to appear in court today (20 Jun).
A third youth is still being hunted by police.
Police were on unmarked patrol when they were alerted to a trio accused of stealing mobiles on electric bikes.
They were allegedly doing it near Mile End Underground station, east London yesterday (19 Jun) afternoon.
A teen was arrested on Whitechapel Road nearby, as reported on Need To Know.
An onlooker filmed it on their phone in a one-minute and 10-second long video.
A Met Police spokesperson said today (20 Jun): “Two teenagers have been charged and a machete and two stolen phones recovered after a pursuit by officers on robbery patrol in the Whitechapel Road area.
“Officers were carrying out robbery patrols in an unmarked vehicle when the control room alerted them to three males on e-bikes snatching mobile phones near Mile End Underground Station.
“After identifying people that matched the description of the suspects, two males were arrested following a foot chase by officers.”
The Scotland Yard spokesperson added: “An 18-year-old man [A] was charged on Wednesday, 19 June with three counts of theft and one count of possession of an offensive weapon in a public place.
“He will appear at Thames Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, 20 June.
“A 16-year-old boy [B] was charged on Thursday, 20 June with three counts of theft and one count of possession of an offensive weapon in a public place.
“He will appear at magistrates’ court on Thursday, 20 June.
“Enquiries continue to trace the outstanding suspect.”
READ MORE: Record number of people cross English Channel in one day this year
