A hero delivery driver foiled an attempted cash van heist by bundling the suspect to the floor.
The have-a-go hero sprang into action when two robbers on a moped punched a security guard and grabbed the cash box he was carrying from a casino near Algate East station in Whitechapel.
As they tried to escape, the courier and a colleague jumped from their van and tackled one of the suspects.
Witnesses watched in amazement as the van driver pinned the would-be robber to the floor, holding him down until a passing police firearms team spotted the fracas and stepped in.
Fitness manager Gokul Yesodharan, 20, was on his way home to north London when he saw the two suspects pull up on their bike.
He said: “The guard was coming back to the van when a guy in a black helmet tried to grab the cash.
“The courier was parked in front. He saw what was going on and got out. There was a scuffle and some were punches thrown, so the man in the helmet tried to run away.
“As the courier bundled him to the ground his accomplice drove off on the moped, leaving him behind.”
The courier, described as an Asian man in his twenties with a large build and thick beard, stayed at the scene where he was congratulated by the gathered crowd.
Mr Yesodharan added: “He was so composed afterwards. People were congratulating him and he thanked them. The police were checking for DNA traces under his fingernails because of the scuffle.
“I think he might have had some cuts and bruises but seemed okay. He was very heroic.”
Daniel Cuthbert, who was buying a coffee, said: “He managed to bring the robber down. Let’s just say it looked like he got a good kicking.”
The security guard was treated at the scene. A suspect was arrested and taken to hospital with minor injuries.
