THIS is the shocking moment that a callous car thief sends sparks flying on Valentine’s Day – by using an angle grinder to dismantle the steering wheel lock.
CCTV footage captured the daring stunt from the criminal last week in Forest Gate, East London where he used his industrial tools to rid the car of its security system.
Many people were left shocked after viewing the video on social media with some claiming that London is “lost” to crime.
Passersby captured on the security cam seemed unfazed by the brazen thief despite his engaging in early morning DIY at about 6am.
Video shows the motor coming into focus on the CCTV as the red Lexus comes to a sudden stop.
The cheeky crook then opens the driver side door before jumping out with a torch and getting to work at slicing off the wheel lock.
Sparks are captured flying all over the windscreen and out into the brisk early morning air of the capital as the crook tries to complete his daring deed.
However, the thief is briefly stopped in his tracks when a pedestrian walks next to the car momentarily, before continuing just seconds later.
The grinding comes to a halt after just over 60 seconds as the crook quickly hops back into the luxury motor and makes his getaway.
The jaw-dropping footage was shared online last week with the caption: “A person steals a Lexus car with the steering wheel lock on but then grinds off the steering wheel with an angle grinder when he stops the car, this happened in the Forest Gate area.”
The post received over 115 likes and dozens of comments from social media users who shared their views on the shocking stunt.
One person said: “I feel like stealing cars appears to be a lot easier than I ever thought it would be with how many get nicked.”
Another added: “#VeryBritishProblem.”
A third replied: “Criminal Minds.”
Another commented: “Gone are the days when thieves would put the car on bricks”
A fifth responded: “London is lost, I do not even travel through there anymore, literally a hellhole.”
