A rugby coach sprinted 50 yards down an Islington cycle track to foil a suspected bike thief.

Moments later, Chris – who asked us not to publish his surname – attempted a citizen’s arrest on the man’s two accomplices and ended up in “a bit of fisticuffs” outside the City of London Academy Islington.

Dashcam footage from a passing car shows him running down Quietway 2 after the suspected thief, who is forced to give up and drop the bike as a postman steps in to help.

The drama started when three young men, one of them riding his own bike, were spotted wheeling a second bicycle down Danbury Street, outside the Earl of Essex, at about 4pm.

Chris said he was suspicious because the bike they were wheeling still had a lock attached to its front wheel.

“I asked them a few times to explain why the bike was still locked,” he told the Gazette. “But one individual put it on his back and he raced off.

Islington Gazette: Moments later, Chris enters the frame giving chase.Moments later, Chris enters the frame giving chase. (Image: Chris Kenyon (DO NOT USE NAME))

“I chased them for 50 or 60 metres down the road. Then a postman got involved and a couple of neighbours came out and videoed it.”

The excitement wasn’t over after the chase ended, though.

“The two other original individuals I saw with the bike tried to saunter past as though nothing had happened,” Chris added. “I tried a citizen’s arrest on one of them and then there was a bit of fisticuffs.”

Police were called but the men had got away.

No one has been arrested over the fight, which didn’t result in any injuries, or over the alleged theft attempt.

Islington Gazette: Finally, the suspected thief drops the bike in the road as a postman steps in to help.Finally, the suspected thief drops the bike in the road as a postman steps in to help. (Image: Chris Kenyon (DO NOT USE NAME))

“It was great to see drivers stopping, neighbours coming out and an off-duty postman intervening,” added Chris. “It’s a reminder that as a community we can respond to phone and bike theft.

“We all need to be vigilant but should not be afraid of giving chase when needed.”

Chris added one of the men he tackled would be “feeling sore this morning”.

A Scotland Yard spokesman said this morning: “We were called just before 4pm on Monday to what was believed to be the theft of a bike. “The caller spoke to us about photo and video and reported that he had been assaulted.”

The bike is now in the care of the police while attempts are made to find its owner.

If this is you, you can call them on 101.