Smash and grab heist: robbers ram-raid Hackney office

Published: 10:39 AM May 19, 2013

Updated: 10:34 AM October 14, 2020

The building which was ram-raided, and has now been boarded up. - Credit: Archant

An office behind Kingsland Road, Haggerston was ram-raided last night, and several men were seen fleeing on motorbikes just before 10pm.

A car was used to smash into the glass-fronted building, paving the way for the thieves, who were wearing crash helmets, to grab the loot from inside.

Witnesses called police immediately but the gang made off within a couple of minutes, before Hackney police’s Task Force arrived on the scene.

Gazette reporter, Emma Bartholomew, who saw the incident said: “I heard a horrible loud noise and shouting outside, and when I looked out the window I saw a car reversing into the building.

“Then a few men dressed in black wearing crash helmets began running in and out. It looked as though they were stealing laptops and loading them onto motorbikes.

“It happened so quickly, they were gone within seconds, I’m just amazed the car was able to drive off after the destruction.

“The scary bit was the brute aggression, seeing a car smashing into a building with so much force, obviously it was totally unexpected, I was shaking so much I could barely unlock my phone to type 999.”