Exclusive: OWNER OF THE HAMPTON HOUSE SHOT AT BY THIEVES RELIVES THE HORROR ATTACK
The shocked owner of the house in the quiet Hampton street which was targeted by gun-toting motorbike thieves last week has talked about the incident for the first time with Teddington Town.
The man, who asked not to be named, described the early hours attack as ‘retaliation’ and revealed that a total of TEN shots were fired – three into the motorbike itself bursting the fuel tank and spilling petrol over the pavement and the other seven through the downstairs window.
The shots, believed to be from an automatic weapon because of the speed at which they were fired, were taken from such an angle from the road that their trajectory was upward narrowly missing the owner’s 17 year old son, who was asleep in the downstairs room facing the street in Linden Road, Hampton in the early hours last Thursday.
The owner told Teddington Town: “I just heard a massive explosion which I thought came from an attempt to blow up the lock on the bike by the thieves but it was the sounds of the gunshots.
“It is difficult to believe that something like this happens in Hampton but these thieves have been operating up and down this street for ages and and will apparently go to any length to try to steal bikes if they can.
“The gunshots seem a bit extreme but were an expression of their frustration or a warning about not being able to steal the bike.”
The targeted motorbike has been taken away for forensic examination by the police and the shattered window has been patched up. A bullet hole just above the frame is still visible as well as broken plaster on the window sill.
A nearby CCTV is believed to have caught the entire incident on film, which is currently been studied by the police. The thieves were clad entirely in black as well as motorbike helmets and difficult to identify.
“The police were on the scene very quickly and have been very supportive. My son was very shaken up and in truth was very fortunate not to be struck by a stray bullet given the number of shots which were fired. If they had been fired from a different angle I am sure he would have been hit.
“It just seems to defy logic that motorcycle thieves would have access to a gun much less use a gun in this way but the police did not seem surprised at all.”
The owner also revealed the police had helped install a panic alarm in the property should the thieves return.