A thief was dramatically caught on camera jumping from a second floor window to avoid being arrested – only to be placed in handcuffs by quick-footed officers just over a minute later.
Bobby Thorpe found himself at the centre of a dramatic police chase after brazenly fleeing from an address in Tonbridge, Kent, as police officers arrived to arrest him.
The 33-year-old was pursued by Kent Police officer PC Ben Cooper, whose bodycam picked up a crashing sound as he stood at the front door.
Rushing to the rear of the property, the officer then spotted several broken tiles on a nearby garage and realised their suspect was on the run.
PC Cooper can be heard repeatedly saying ‘surely not’ in disbelief that Thorpe had endangered himself by jumping from the window in a bid to escape.
Following his tracks, the determined officer can then be seen running through the residential streets before catching up with the suspect hiding out in another resident’s garden – during a chase that impressively lasted less than 80 seconds.
As he was placed in handcuffs, Thorpe realised he had sustained an injury to his face.
When asked how he did that, he simply said: ‘Just jumped out the window…hit my head on the roof.’
Thorpe was later jailed for 36 weeks for a variety of offences including theft.
The dramatic pursuit occurred on the morning of January 8, 2026, when officers from Kent Police’s Community Safety Unit were dispatched to arrest Thorpe at an address in Tonbridge.
Thorpe, of Tonbridge, was later jailed for 36 weeks for a variety of offences including theft, handling stolen goods and fraud.
Chief Inspector Mark Stubberfield said he was ‘proud’ of how his officers reacted.
‘Every day, police officers go above and beyond to try and catch offenders and keep the public safe,’ he said.
‘In this incident, they were quick to suspect what had happened, despite their initial disbelief, and were able to act quickly and arrest Thorpe in just over a minute.
‘Our officers are dedicated to catching criminals. In January alone, we had a 73.9% solve rate for shoplifting offences in Tonbridge and Malling, which shows how committed we are to tackling crimes that affect the community.
‘This arrest is another example of the lengths officers will go to in order to achieve that, and I am incredibly proud of them all.’
