Video: Dropped shoe leads to jail time for 'Cinderella' phone thief, police say
Suspected phone snatcher drops shoe, which leads to police identification
Police in London shared surveillance video of a phone snatching caught on camera. Credit: City of London Police via Storyful
Police in London said a so-called "Cinderella" phone snatcher pleaded guilty to theft.
Phone theft caught on camera
Big picture view:
Police in London said a suspect grabbed a phone from a stranger’s hand on Aug. 7, 2024.
Police said the suspect was dressed as a commuter to evade suspicion, and was on his electric bike when he grabbed the phone.
Video perspective:
The incident was caught on surveillance video, London police said, and they shared the video.
The alleged theft happens across the street from the camera, and shows the suspect falling down on his bike as two people start to run after him. The suspect eventually ditches the bike and takes off running – with at least three more passersby jumping in to try and stop the suspect.
At least one stranger appears to try to tackle the suspect, and another sticks his foot out to try and trip the suspect.
During the attempted tackle, the suspect’s shoe came off.
Police in London shared surveillance video of a phone snatching caught on camera. Credit: City of London Police via Storyful
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Dig deeper:
London Police said the suspect He pleaded guilty at Inner London Crown Court to one count of theft.
Police in London said they studied the shoe left behind at the scene, and were able to match DNA to a suspect — 28-year-old Spencer Duarte.
Police said Duarte has pleaded guilty to one count of theft.
The Source: Information in this article was taken from the social media account of the City of London Police, as aggregated by Storyful, a social media licensing agency in partnership with FOX Television Stations. This story was reported from Detroit.