Anton Damhuis was riding home from work on his BMW R1200 GS at around 5.30pm on Monday afternoon when he saw a pedestrian grab a laptop bag out of a car that was stopped at a red light on the corner of London Road and 13th Avenue in Alexandra.
In his own words, he “decided to intervene” - and the whole thing was caught on his helmet cam.
The driver of the car, Phillip Coetser, who sounded rather shaken in the video, later posted a comment thanking Damhuis for his actions.
“I eventually ran over him with the car (and unfortunately my laptop),” he wrote. “Pity you did not see that 'cause I think you would have enjoyed it. And the dent in the car is a minor price to pay for my safety and protection.”
Comments on Youtube were overwhelmingly positive, praising Damhuis for “Best use of a GS ever!”(Sneaky Russian) and “Quick thinking and bravery! It's what we lack in this country to make us all feel safer. Much respect” (Praveen Singh) among hundreds posted.