Have-a-go hero Hardy catches motorbike thief
HE has made a name for himself as a Hollywood hard man. And Tom Hardy lived up to his image when he chased down and helped to capture a suspected motorcycle thief. The Mad Max star was seen running after a 16-year-old boy after the teenager crashed a stolen motorbike into a car near the actor’s home in southwest London.
A witness described how Hardy, 39, pursued the suspect through an ‘assault course’ of gardens and a building site.
He then grabbed the motorcycle rider and detained him with the help of several other members of the public before police arrived.
Police said two 16-year-old boys who were riding the motorbike jumped a red light at a busy junction in Richmond on a street where homes go for £6million. They then crashed into a £50,000 Mercedes and fled on foot.
Officers who happened to be present at the time of the crash on Sunday afternoon quickly apprehended the pillion passenger, arresting him on suspicion of taking a vehicle without consent.
But the other youth might have got away had it not been for the quickthinking actions of Hardy.
He apparently collared the suspect and checked him for weapons after giving chase for around half a mile along with other members of the public.
Moments later, police arrived to arrest the teenager on suspicion of stealing a motor vehicle and driving while disqualified.
Local resident Arun Pullen, 22, told The Sun: ‘Tom must have been walking down the road. He went off like a shot in pursuit and looked furious.
‘I asked Tom what happened and he told me he chased him through my back garden and caught him around the block – but the route was like an assault course.’
He added: ‘It was mental – like he’d switched to superhero mode in an action movie.’
Mr Pullen claimed that Hardy was ‘clearly not a man you’d mess with’ and said the actor even checked the ID of one suspect before the police took over.
A Scotland Yard spokesman said: ‘Two teenagers arrested on suspicion of theft-related motor vehicle offences in Richmond have been released under investigation.’
The spokesman said the motorcycle had been in collision with a car, adding: ‘Officers were not pursuing the motorcycle, but happened to be present at the location at the time of the collision. Two 16-year-old boys immediately made off.
‘The rider of the motorcycle was detained by members of the public then arrested by officers.
‘Both teenagers sustained injuries as a result of the collision and were treated in hospital then taken to a police station.’
A spokesman for Hardy, whose films include The Dark Knight Rises, The Revenant and Inception, declined to comment. The actor is thought to be keen to play down the incident.