Bungling thief tries to steal £6,500 mountain bike from ‘empty’ shop but is foiled by quick-witted mechanic who was watching him on CCTV Hapless thief sneaks into shop in Bloomsbury, London, and tries to swipe bike CCTV footage shows mechanic sprinting to stop crook who tries to flee out door Mechanic Billy Dye, 23, says the thief did not know he was in the shop at the timeBy Sophie Law For Mailonline Published: 19:47 GMT, 5 March 2019 | Updated: 19:47 GMT, 5 March 2019 Viewcomments A mechanic stopped a bungling thief who tried to swipe a £6,500 bike from a shop he thought was empty. CCTV footage shows the brazen thief sneaking into the shop in Bloomsbury, London, on Wednesday and eyeing up the expensive bikes. The hapless crook spots a Yeti mountain bike worth thousands of pounds mounted on the wall. Footage shows the thief swiping the bike and hesitating for a moment before making a run for the door. But the bungling thief is unable to get the bike out of the shop quick enough before a mechanic comes running to stop him. Workshop mechanic Billy Dye, 23, sprints to stop the man who drops the bike immediately and flees out the door. The mechanic said he had been watching the thief on CCTV who had not realised he was obscured behind a wall. CCTV footage shows a brazen thief sneaking into the shop in Bloomsbury, London, on Wednesday and trying to steal a £6,500 bike Mr Dye said: 'The guy pulled up on his bike and left it to rest on the bench outside. He had a look around and didn't realise that our mechanic was in the shop as he was behind a wall.' 'The thing is the bike deliberately has no pedals and flat tyres so a thief wouldn't go very far with it. Thankfully our mechanic Billy was there and was able to catch him.' 'A lot of people have commented on how funny it would have been if his own bike had been stolen while he was in the shop.' A Metropolitan Police said inquiries were ongoing into the 'shoplifting' incident at around 6.15pm on Wednesday. A spokesman said: 'A man entered the shop and removed a bike, walking out, without paying. A member of staff ran after the suspect and managed to take the bike back before he made off. No arrests have been made.' Share or comment on this article: All rights reserved for this news site dailymail and under his responsibility