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This is the astonishing moment a gang of have-a-go heroes pelted machete-wielding raiders with stones and BRICKS as they fled the scene of a jewellery heist.

The amazing mobile phone footage, captured from inside a passing car, showed passersby leap into action during the raid on Naresh Jewellers on Friday night.

Four raiders struck at the shop on Smethwick High Street shortly before 6.30pm, as the owner tried to close for the day.

One eyewitness told the Birmingham Mail a masked man wielding a machete stood guard outside the shop, while a getaway driver in an Audi S3 waited nearby.

The raid was thought to have lasted around four minutes, before three of the gang tried to flee.

The footage shows hoards of men - armed only with rocks - attempting to thwart their escape by smashing the rear window and clinging onto doors.

The trio still managed to speed away, but were understood to have stopped metres down White Road when the fourth raider ran from the shop and jumped into the car.

One man, who works at a nearby chip shop, told how staff from neighbouring shops piled in to help.

He said: “Someone came in and said: ‘The jewellers is being robbed’.

"I went straight outside and saw a group of men running away from the shop.

“They had knives and machetes and about three bags of stuff they had stolen.

“There was a whole load of us who all piled in and tried to stop them.

“They got in the car so we picked up bricks and stones and threw them.

“The car was damaged but they still managed to get away.”

Another witness, who runs a business close to the scene, said two people suffered ‘minor’ injuries in the raid.

He said: “The whole incident was really quite shocking.

“I went out briefly to see what was happening and saw a masked man, holding a machete, standing in the doorway of the jewellers.

“There was an Audi S3 waiting outside.

“When the thieves tried to escape they were chased by about ten to 15 passersby who tried to stop them escaping.

“One man tried to hold the passenger-side door open and others managed to smash the rear window with rocks.

“They still managed to drive off but stopped a few metres down the road and another man ran from the jewellers and jumped into the car.

“It happened just as the owner of the jewellers was shutting the shop for the night.

“I think he was injured and another man who tried to stop the thieves had a minor slash to his arm.

“In the 40 years we have been here we have never known anything like this.

“We are proud the community tried to get involved and hopefully this will deter people trying to do anything like this round here again.”

West Midlands Police confirmed officers were investigating the incident.

A spokeswoman said: “We are investigating a robbery which occurred yesterday (Friday, September 29) at around 6.20pm at a jewellers on the High Street in Smethwick.

“A quantity of jewellery was stolen during the robbery.

“An investigation is underway and anyone with information is asked to call police on 101 or Crimestoppers, anonymously on 0800 555 111.”