Terrifying moment masked knifemen raid car in East Finchley in violent robbery

Tom Powell16 August 2017
WEST END FINAL

Get our award-winning daily news email featuring exclusive stories, opinion and expert analysis

I would like to be emailed about offers, event and updates from Evening Standard. Read our privacy notice.

This was the terrifying moment a group of masked knifemen raided a car while it was pulled over in a north London side street.

Two men – aged 21 and 26 – were sat in the vehicle in Long Lane, East Finchley, when the gang suddenly surrounded them on all sides and robbed them.

The six attackers, wearing balaclavas and armed with blades, can be seen sprinting towards the parked car and pulling the doors open.

They then assault the men inside for about 30 seconds before a passing car lights up the street and they decide to run.

Raid: the six attackers targeted the car in Long Lane near the junction with Trinity Road
Met police

The group stole a Rolex watch and wallet, according to police. As they fled, a harmful substance was sprayed at the victims.

Police and paramedics were called to the scene and the victims were treated for bruising and minor burns. They were not seriously injured.

Officers are now hunting for the attackers, who they believe arrived at the scene in a black Ford Galaxy. The incident took place 10.55pm on Tuesday, 8 August.

Initial tests revealed the liquid sprayed at the victims was not acid but some form of “noxious substance”.

PC Dan Levy, the investigating officer from Barnet CID, said: "I am appealing to anyone who was in the area and witnessed this incident to speak to police. We know there were people in Long Lane at around the time of the incident and someone may have seen something significant that could assist our investigation."

Anyone with information is asked to contact Barnet CID on 0208 733 4510, police on 101 or Tweet @MetCC.

Information can also be reported anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or at crimestoppers-uk.org.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in