A man left in a life-threatening condition after bravely remonstrating with rioters has not been identified - because the thugs who attacked him fled with his wallet and phone.

Hopelessly outnumbered, a single police officer watched as the lone man, said to be white and aged in his mid-40s to 50s, was set upon by a large mob of armed black teenagers after he confronted them for setting two industrial bins alight.

His relatives still don't know that he was attacked by the pack of rioters - because police haven't been able to work out who he is so they can break the bad news.






This morning he remains in a serious condition in a west London hospital after being beaten and punched in the face.

The man, believed to be from the area, was sent crashing to the ground by thugs who robbed him as he lay unconscious on the pavement.

The aftermath of the attack was caught on camera as the man, in a checked shirt and apparently wearing glasses, lies face down on the ground.



Horrific: The man, in his 60s, lies injured on the floor in Ealing, west London, after attempting to put out a fire lit by rioters

The brutal attack in Ealing, west London, happened in front of a police officer, who frantically  radioed for help in tackling the mob heavily armed with weapons, including bottles and bricks.

Riot squad officers who rushed to the scene had to push back the mob to reach the injured man while being pelted with missiles. A line of officers then held back the yobs as paramedics arrived.

His masked attackers are believed to have earlier looted a supermarket in the affluent west London suburb when they fought running battles with police.

 

Police were called around 10.45pm on Monday night as the mob torched buildings and cars, looting shops and streaming down quiet residential streets and breaking into homes.

One local businessman said: ‘I went up to Spring Bridge Road to check on my other shop and saw him on the ground.

‘The rioters had set a bin alight and then they jumped on him when he tried to put it out. They ran away when the police arrived, and they put him in the recovery position. I could see he was wearing shorts and T-shirt, with grey hair.’

The witness said the rioters were also mugging customers in a nearby restaurant. He added: ‘Customers were sitting at the tables and they were just grabbing stuff from them. They were 17, 18, 20 years old.’


Concern: A police officer and another man come to the victim's aid in one of the most horrifying pictures to emerge from the rioting

Terrified residents described how their multi-million-pound homes were broken into while they slept as marauding gangs used the cover of the riots to commit burglaries as thinly stretched police lines tackled trouble spots elsewhere.

One large 200-strong gang, scarves pulled over their faces, surrounded a block of flats and banged on the windows and doors.

Rioters armed with petrol bombs also smashed windows and looted scores of stores.

Shopkeepers whose businesses were wrecked by rampaging mobs of teenagers yesterday branded the thugs ‘feral rats’.

Polka Rastovic, 53, who owns Crispin’s Wine Bar in Ealing, told how she cowered behind her till when she heard the mob approaching.

‘It was terrifying. I had locked my door but could see a shadow approaching and hear the windows of nearby shops and restaurants being smashed as they closed in.

‘When they finally arrived I fled to the kitchen at the back and locked myself in. I could see them jumping on the counter, stealing bottles and going for the till.’


Ablaze: Cars were burned in arson attacks by youths in Ealing last night

Council leader Julian Bell said: ‘It was a roaming mob who came to an affluent area determined to steal and grab as much loot as possible without any regard for the people they terrorised or hurt in the process.

‘For them it was rich pickings. The police were helpless. It was very fluid and very frightening.’

The scene of the attack on the man near the Arcadia Shopping Centre was cordoned off yesterday as forensic experts scoured the area.

Police are checking CCTV tapes of the incident.

Posted in: A man left in a life-threatening condition after bravely remonstrating with rioters has not been identified - because the thugs who attacked him fled with his wallet and phone.