In each robbery, the six men threatened their victims with large knives and machetes before stealing valuables such as watches and bags and leaving their victims and witnesses shocked and scared.
“I was outraged that a senseless act of completely unnecessary and unprovoked physical and emotional violence was perpetrated on my husband, and myself, in the heart of London, in the middle of the afternoon, on a street with several families and their kids,” one of the victims told officers, according to a police press release.
She said she was “both shocked and terrified.”
During the last attack the group used a stolen BMW with false plates as their getaway vehicle. Police found the car crashed into a wooden fence but the perpetrators were nowhere to be found.
However, in their rush to escape, the men left in the car their keys, a bank card and a phone that had photos of two of the gang members celebrating something and wearing the stolen watches.
This evidence provided further confirmation of the perpetrators' guilt and contributed to their eventual conviction.
According to data collected monthly by the Metropolitan Police, in the last 12 months crimes increased by 3.6% in London, with the Westminster area as the hottest spot for criminal activity.
