Two would-be robbers who rode mopeds through Brent Cross and stormed a watch shop with a sledgehammer and pickaxe face prison.
Kyle Ettienne and Lookman Shekoni, both 27, admitted they were part of a gang who raided Watchfinder and Co on October 9.
The moped-riding gang tried to form a protective guard outside of the store by circling it while the pair got busy with their attempted heist.
They began smashing their way through the glass cabinets with a sledgehammer and pickaxe – but the alarm was sounded by a member of staff and CCTV shows the room filling with smoke instantly.
Police got to the scene quickly, which scattered the moped drivers and left Ettienne and Shekoni behind to run from police on foot.
They were caught just outside the shopping centre after they threw away their weapons, later found by police.
Shekoni, from Streatham, pleaded guilty to attempted robbery at Harrow Crown Court on Thursday (November 8).
Co-defendant Ettienne, from Golders Green, pleaded guilty to attempted robbery and carrying a lock knife.
Julian Becker, from the Crown Prosecution Service, said the case against the pair was “strong”
He said: “Shekoni and Ettienne were part of a gang armed with weapons that menacingly stormed a busy shopping centre on mopeds, leaving shoppers unsafe and terrified.
“The evidence against Shekoni and Ettienne included DNA recovered from a sledgehammer and a lock knife.
“There were witness statements from police officers who pursued them and CCTV footage from multiple cameras, which together provided continuity of view from the scene of the offence to their arrest.
“The evidence demonstrated the role played by each defendant despite face coverings they thought would conceal their identities in committing this crime.
“The prosecution’s case against Shekoni and Ettienne was very strong, leading to the CPS’ decision to prosecute and today’s guilty pleas.”
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Shekoni and Ettienne will be sentenced on Wednesday, November 14, at Harrow Crown Court.
