Oxford Circus JD Robbery: Arrests on London Oxford Street as Suella Braverman plans to ‘hunt down’ rioters

Arrests have been made after a Tik-tok post planning to ‘rob JD sports’ on Oxford Street went viral. Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan issued a warning  for people to stay away from London’s famous shopping street as plans to carry out crime circulated on the social media site yesterday (August 9).

According to the Retail Gazette, more than five youths were in handcuffs around Oxford Circus amid heightened police presence. The viral TikTok post was shared widely across social media over the past few days which proposed looting Oxford Street. The post urged people to follow a “dress code” of balaclavas and gloves and said “don’t come if you can’t run”.

It is thought that JD Sports was the target of the proposed looting, but other retailers in the area were also thought to be at risk. Meanwhile, Vision Express and Boots stores on the street were temporarily shut as police carried out their work.

Prior to the planned criminal event, City of Westminster Police issued a 24 hour dispersal order which means the police can move individuals out of the area and stop them from returning for up to 24 hours (unless they are resident in the area).

Police said by 8.15pm on Wednesday (August 9), nine people had been arrested, and 34 issued with dispersal orders.

The force said: “Throughout Wednesday, officers maintained a high-visibility presence within the Oxford Street area.”

It added: “Four people were arrested on suspicion of breaching the dispersal order, one person was arrested on suspicion of going equipped to steal, one person arrested on suspicion of assaulting a police officer and one person was arrested on suspicion of a public order offence.

“Earlier in the afternoon, officers arrested two people in Essex for conspiracy to commit robbery following online social media posts.”

Home Secretary Suella Braverman has called for those responsible for disorder on Oxford Street in London on Wednesday to be “hunted down” and jailed. Sharing a video on X of police making arrests, she posted: “We cannot allow the kind of lawlessness seen in some American cities to come to the streets of the UK.

“The police have my full backing to do whatever necessary to ensure public order.

“Those responsible must be hunted down & locked up. I expect nothing less from the @metpoliceuk and have requested a full incident report.”