Footage of the moment two armed robbers attempted to steal a motorbike from a busy city centre square has been shared with the ECHO.
The video was taken in Abercromby Square on the University of Liverpool campus yesterday afternoon. The video shows two thugs wearing all black clothing with their faces covered.
The thieves desperately try to steal the blue BMW motorbike as a group of people watch the scene unfold. Some onlookers start shouting "don't do it lad" as one of the thieves struggles to take the weight of the bike and it drops to the floor. The owner of the bike Paul said that what shocked him the most after seeing the video is how "brazen" the thieves were.
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Speaking to the ECHO he said: "This is not the first time and they are well known around the campus. As far as I can tell the bike is going to be written off, they have snapped the steering lock, and the brake lever is snapped in half so I don't think it can be repaired.
"They dropped it four times so the insides are probably not good. I was on a course in another part of campus and got a call to tell me someone was stealing my motorbike."
After walking away from the bike the thugs decide to come back and try to pick it up again, still struggling one of the men draws a hammer out of his coat pocket before waving it to the growing crowd.
The pair eventually managed to roll the BMW down the road until they couldn't take the weight of it any longer and the bike veered into a nearby bush. Eventually, the thieves gave up the bike and make their escape.
Paul added: "I'm more worried how brazen they were and I can't see them being more than 16- years-old I mean they pulled out a hammer on people."
A spokesperson for Merseyside Police said: "We can confirm that we received a report of an attempted robbery in Abercromby Square in Liverpool on Tuesday 6 June. At around 2.30pm it was reported that two males attempted to steal a parked motorbike by using a lump hammer to break a lock.
"Members of the public tried to intervene and the two suspects fled the area on an electric bike. Our enquiries are ongoing and we are appealing for anyone who witnessed the incident to get in touch."
If you have any information, get in touch via @MerPolCC quoting reference 23000486879. You can also pass information via the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously, on 0800 555 111.
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