This is the dramatic moment a bungling burglar screams ‘aye, you got me’ as he is ambushed by police after using a crowbar to break into an occupied house in broad daylight.
The would-be thief was whacked with a baton and tackled to the ground after officers caught him trying to force open a patio door, thinking the property in Glasgow was empty.
What he didn’t realise was that somebody was at home and they were secretly filming the brazen break-in attempt from an upstairs window while dialling 999.
Police raced to the scene, where five officers ambushed the suspect before hauling him away.
The would-be thief was attempting to force open a patio door with a crowbar
What he didn’t realise was that somebody was at home and they were secretly filming the brazen break-in attempt from an upstairs window while dialling 999
Police raced to the scene, where officers ambushed suspect and handcuffed him
This is the dramatic moment the bungling burglar screams ‘aye, you got me’ as he is ambushed by police after using a crowbar to break into an occupied house in broad daylight
The shocking two-minute clip went viral on Facebook yesterday and has been viewed more than 15 million times.
It shows the suspect – wearing a black Nike baseball cap and orange gloves – standing next to a pile of broken glass near the patio door, menacingly clutching the crowbar.
Crunching glass is heard as he tries to pry open the lock with it. He pauses to check for witnesses but fails to notice the open window directly above him.
Meanwhile, the witness takes cover behind the window sill and continues to film as the determined crook struggles in vain.
Suddenly, a police officer in a high-vis jacket sneaks up behind him and without warning appears to strike him across the back of the leg with his baton, shouting: ‘Get down. Get down.’
The man howls in pain as the officer hurls him to the floor and appears to take a further swing at him on the way down.
With his face pressed against the concrete, the hapless suspect cries: ‘Aye, you got me.’
Officers remove the crowbar and kneel over him, shouting: ‘Put your hands behind your back. Put your f****** hands behind your back.’
The would-be thief was whacked with a baton and tackled to the ground after officers caught him trying to force open a patio door, thinking the property in Glasgow was empty
The first officer says ‘up ya get’ then drags the man to his feet and leads him away in handcuffs.
Some viewers criticised the police for using what they thought was unreasonable force.
Kev Welton said: ‘As much as I don’t agree with what the thief was doing, that was blatantly common assault by the first copper and I bet he got away with it too.’
Zeb Elwood replied: ‘Don’t think so. The thief had a crowbar he could have used as a weapon and the police were removing that risk.’
Cameron Lewis wrote: ‘It’s f****** police brutality. No announcement from the police, unnecessary force.’
David Andrews added: ‘All that work and the window above him was open. How did he not see it? Scum got his just desserts.’
Police Scotland has been approached for comment.