New video shows the moment an army of youths caused chaos in a Marks and Spencer store in London as police officers watched.
Customers were left terrified as the mob of teenagers took over the food hall in Clapham, south London, on Saturday before a mass brawl broke out.
Footage shows more than a dozen youths pushing each other and running riot in the frozen food aisle as three police officers stand in the middle.
The officers appear to try and control the group by gently pushing a few of the teens, which has little impact.
A number of youngsters stand at the side to film the chaos on their phones, before one girl appears to run away crying in pain as an officer tries to comfort her.
The Daily Mail understands the group of youths targeted a number of retailers, including Marks and Spencer, in the area on Saturday.
Footage of the incident has since gone viral on social media, with viewers branding the ordeal yet another example of lawless London.
Saturday’s scenes have become somewhat commonplace in the capital in recent years, echoing similar events which saw officers overwhelmed or powerless to stop the crime happening in front of their eyes.
A mob of teenagers took over a Marks and Spencer food hall in south London on Saturday
Met Police officers appear to try and control the group by gently pushing a few of the teens, which has little impact
One girl within the group appears to run away crying in pain as an officer tries to comfort her
In February last year, a ‘marketing stunt’ in London descended into chaos as a mass flash mob of schoolchildren took over an unattended police car, chanting ‘f*** the feds’.
Footage showed hundreds of youngsters gathered around as at least 10 boys, some wearing stolen police uniforms, hijacked an emergency vehicle in Broadwick Street, Soho. Met Police officers then swooped on the scene, with hundreds of children sent fleeing through Soho after the sound of sirens brought the stunt to an abrupt close.
Police confirmed the police vehicle suffered damage and that contents from inside were stolen.
At the time, two boys under the age of 16 were arrested on suspicion of theft, criminal damage and affray.
A month earlier, a gang of hooded youths raided an Apple store in a brazen daytime heist in the capital.
Footage showed at least eight robbers, all dressed in black, targeting the tech giant’s store in the Brent Cross shopping centre in north London in January, 2025.
People later posted about the incident in Clapham on social media, writing: ‘Rare aesthetic: you went to Clapham courts yesterday’
A large group of youths gathered in Clapham over the weekend, when the M&S incident took place
Last year, a ‘marketing stunt’ in central London descended into chaos as a mass flash mob of schoolchildren took over an unattended police car
A sea of shoppers, including parents with young children, could be seen dramatically fleeing the Apple store as the mob ripped out expensive devices around them.
At the time, the Met Police said it had arrested six youths between the ages of 14 and 18 on suspicion of robbery.
Twelve people were later charged in relation to a string of thefts that targeted Apple stores in London, including one adult and 11 teenagers.
One 14-year-old boy was given a nine-month referral order and told to pay £100 compensation to each security guard within a year.
Just last month, footage showed the moment passers-by were forced to confront machete-wielding thieves as they smashed their way into a jewellers on a moped.
Four figures clad in black and motor helmets raided a Turkish gold shop in Green Lanes, north London, but brave locals fought back.
CCTV footage showed the chaos, with one of the men threatening onlookers with a machete while another passed fistfuls of jewellery to the getaway driver.
Last year, a gang of youths could be seen entering an Apple store in London as a security guard blocked one from coming in
Shocked shoppers watched on as the gang of youths fled the shop with devices just 20 seconds after the chaos started
Last month, footage showed the moment passers-by were forced to confront machete-wielding thieves as they smashed their way into a jewellers on a moped in north London
Further footage from inside the shop showed the moped driver ram the bike straight through the front door as a customer spoke to the shop attendant. The other men then rushed in and began smashing the glass cabinets to snatch the jewellery, terrifying the two women who ran to the back for safety.
The robbers have still not been found, according to the Evening Standard.
Last year, a consortium of retailers warned London’s flagship high streets are at ‘serious risk’ without national action on crime.
Oxford Street has struggled in recent years as big names have moved out and it has become known for phone snatching, anti-social behaviour and theft – as well as the infamously tacky US-style sweet shops and souvenir stores.
Some empty stores in the street have fallen into disrepair, while shoplifting has become an increasing problem and rough sleepers are a regular sight in storefronts.
Problems reached a peak in August 2023 when West End stores were forced to lower their shutters and lock customers inside after large groups of mainly young men and teenagers responded to a call on TikTok to join an ‘Oxford Circus JD robbery’.
The Daily Mail has contacted the Met Police for comment on the incident in Marks and Spencer.
