NORTHAMPTON, England — A handbag heroine fought off robbers armed with sledgehammers as they attempted a smash-and-grab raid at a UK jewelry store, Sky News reported Tuesday.
Footage filmed by a passerby shows six men brazenly smashing their way into the shop in the central English city of Northampton at about 9:30am local time Monday.
As staff activate automated shutters to protect the store’s windows, the video shows a woman in a red coat running across the road toward the men, armed only with her handbag. The footage shows her raining blows down on the armed gang with her bag and chasing them away from the store as they attempt to make a getaway on scooters.
But in their panic, two of the men fell off their scooter right in front of the woman, who was bending down to pick up some dropped jewelry but took the opportunity to hit them with her bag once again.
The woman, whose name was not released, told the Northampton Chronicle & Echo on Tuesday what caused her to act so bravely.
“I was standing talking with a woman when I heard a commotion, and I looked across and saw six young men on scooters,” she said. “At first, I thought one of them was being set upon by three others. I was not going to stand by and watch somebody take a beating or worse, so I tried to intervene.”
She added: “What concerned me was that too many people just stood around watching as if they were in shock, and nobody was doing anything. When I got closer to them, I realized it was a robbery, and then I was even more angry that they felt they could get away with what they were doing in broad daylight.”
Other members of the public, including the cameraman, later managed to restrain one of the gang members. Police then arrested three more men. All four were aged between 18 and 39. Police are still seeking two other people believed to have been involved in the incident.
Three sledgehammers, including one broken in half, a pair of bolt cutters and a moped were left lying in the road following the bungled robbery.
The shy heroine said she wants to be left alone and does not want any more press attention.