This is the shocking moment a car thief jumped into an elderly woman’s £35,000 BMW and fled the scene with her pet pug Daisy still on the back seat.
Ring doorbell captured the thug prowling on the street as he waited for the woman to park on her driveway in Bexleyheath, south-east London, before leaping into action.
Police are probing the ‘shocking’ incident which left a woman in her 70s in hospital after being struck by her own car while chasing after it down Bowford Avenue on Wednesday morning.
Video obtained exclusively by MailOnline shows the woman parking up and leaving the driver-side door slightly ajar, with the ignition still running and the hazard lights flashing.
As she walks off into her home, the thief is seen leaving his VW Golf before crossing the road to scope out the grey BMW X1 – a model worth £34,935 when brand new.
Daisy the pug (pictured) was snatched in the process of the car being stolen. Thankfully, it was returned to the owners later
This is the shocking moment a thief jumped into a woman’s £35,000 BMW and fled the scene while a pug called Daisy was still inside the vehicle
After realising the door has been left open, he quickly jumps inside the car and reverses out of the drive, sparking panic from the homeowners.
The woman and her son are then seen sprinting out of the house in a bid to stop the thief escaping.
Police said that as they made a desperate attempt to stop the car and the pug being stolen, the thief struck the woman.
Her injuries are not life-threatening, police confirmed.
The woman’s daughter-in-law shared the footage on a Bexleyheath Facebook page to try and locate the dog and the thieves who stole the car.
Thankfully, someone else on the page had found Daisy the pug wandering around a park and returned her to them safely.
Punpilas Prakenree, who posted the footage, wrote: ‘If you know this guy, please let us know. Car stolen Grey BMW X1 LS69 LPL from the drive and with the pug was in the car.’
She said that at 8.21am this morning, ‘two white males in a dark blue VW Golf’ drove past and ‘jumped into the car with the ignition on’ before driving off to Brampton Road towards Crook Log.
Ms Prakenree added: ‘He knocked my mother in law and my husband off when they tried to stop the car. I cut footages out when my mother in law was knocked over. It is hard to watch.’
Furious members of the Facebook group condemned the thieves after the shocking video was posted.
A woman found the pug walking around a park and safely returned it to the owners
The thief scouts out the area before noticing the car door is slightly ajar, at which points he runs to jump in
Doorbell footage shows the man then reversing out of the drive, sparking panic amongst the homeowners
The woman and her son sprint after the man as he tries to flee and it’s alleged that he knocked them over
One user said: ‘Utter scum hope the police catch them.’
A second wrote: ‘Omg that awful hope they are ok disgusting shocking.’
A third posted: ‘This is just awful – I’m so sorry this happened to your family.’
And a fourth added: ‘There are no words I just hope the lady is ok and you get your dog home.’
A Scotland Yard spokesperson said: ‘An investigation is ongoing following this shocking incident.
‘A dog that was in the car when it was stolen was thankfully found safe and well by a member of the public a short time later in Wickham Street, Welling.
‘Anyone who can help police identify the man should call 101 ref CAD 1418/24 Jan.’
Robert Johnson is a UK-based business writer specializing in finance and entrepreneurship. With an eye for market trends and a keen interest in the corporate world, he offers readers valuable insights into business developments.
