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Hollywood superstar Tom Hardy chased down and helped snare a moped thief after pursuing him through gardens and across a building site in south west London.

A witness said the Hollywood actor “switched into superhero mode” as he collared the man before checking him for weapons after the chase.

He sprinted through gardens and a building site before grabbing the thief by the scruff of the neck, and declaring, "I caught the c***," said a witness.

With the help of the Legend and Mad Max star, two suspects were detained in connection with the theft, according to The Sun.

They are facing theft charges.

The witness said two men had jumped a red light at a busy junction before crashing the moped into a £50,000 Mercedes near Hardy’s home in Richmond.

Arun Pullen, 22, said: "Tom must have been walking down the road. He went off like a shot in pursuit and looked furious.”

Tom Hardy - In pictures 25 show all Tom Hardy - In pictures 1/25 The actor, who played villain Bane in The Dark Knight Rises, chased down a thief in London Warner Bros 2/25 Tom Hardy as James Keziah Delaney in 'Taboo' FX Networks 3/25 Screen hard man Tom Hardy in his latest roles as Ronnie (left) and Reggie Kray in 'Legend' 4/25 Tom Hardy stunned onlookers with his daredevil actions Warner Bros 5/25 Tom Hardy as Alfie Solomons in Peaky Blinders BBC/Caryn Mandabach Productions 6/25 Tom Hardy and the dog Rocco from the film pose for photos at "The Drop" premiere in New York Charles Sykes/Invision/AP 7/25 James Gandolfini and Tom Hardy in 'The Drop' 20th Century Fox 8/25 The actor shows a softer side joining CBeebies viewers for a bedtime story as he reads The Cloudspotter by Tom McLaughlin BBC 9/25 Tom Hardy takes part in the 12th BGC Annual Charity Day at Canary Wharf in London Jonathan Brady/PA 10/25 Tom Hardy in 'This Means War' 20th Century Fox 11/25 Tom Hardy as James Keziah Delaney in 'Taboo' Scott Free Prods/Robert Viglasky 12/25 Tom Hardy greets Mel Gibson at the premiere of "Mad Max: Fury Road" in Hollywood, California Reuters 13/25 Gary Oldman and Tom Hardy appear in 'Child 44' Lionsgate 14/25 #1in4 campaign, part of the BBC's Minds Matter season, of a selfie of Tom Hardy who has thrown his support behind a campaign encouraging people to talk about mental health PA 15/25 Charlotte Riley and Tom Hardy attend the 88th Annual Academy Awards Jason Merritt/Getty Images 16/25 Tom Hardy as Bane with Christian Bale as Batman in The Dark Knight Rises 17/25 Tom Hardy as James Keziah Delaney in 'Taboo' FX Networks / Robert Viglasky 18/25 Tom Hardy as Ivan Locke in 'Locke' 19/25 Tom Hardy attends the Global Triumph Bonneville launch in London Dave Benett 20/25 Tom Hardy as Max Rockatansky in 'Mad Max: Fury Road' Warner Bros 21/25 Tom Hardy as Max Rockatansky in 'Mad Max: Fury Road' Warner Bros 22/25 Tom Hardy as Max Rockatansky in 'Mad Max: Fury Road' Warner Bros 23/25 Tom Hardy as Alfie Solomons in Peaky Blinders Robert Viglasky/Mandabach/Tiger Aspect/BBC 24/25 Tom Hardy as Charles Bronson in the new film 'Bronson'. PUBLICITY PICTURE 25/25 Tom Hardy as a troubled fighter in the 2011 film Warrior 1/25 The actor, who played villain Bane in The Dark Knight Rises, chased down a thief in London Warner Bros 2/25 Tom Hardy as James Keziah Delaney in 'Taboo' FX Networks 3/25 Screen hard man Tom Hardy in his latest roles as Ronnie (left) and Reggie Kray in 'Legend' 4/25 Tom Hardy stunned onlookers with his daredevil actions Warner Bros 5/25 Tom Hardy as Alfie Solomons in Peaky Blinders BBC/Caryn Mandabach Productions 6/25 Tom Hardy and the dog Rocco from the film pose for photos at "The Drop" premiere in New York Charles Sykes/Invision/AP 7/25 James Gandolfini and Tom Hardy in 'The Drop' 20th Century Fox 8/25 The actor shows a softer side joining CBeebies viewers for a bedtime story as he reads The Cloudspotter by Tom McLaughlin BBC 9/25 Tom Hardy takes part in the 12th BGC Annual Charity Day at Canary Wharf in London Jonathan Brady/PA 10/25 Tom Hardy in 'This Means War' 20th Century Fox 11/25 Tom Hardy as James Keziah Delaney in 'Taboo' Scott Free Prods/Robert Viglasky 12/25 Tom Hardy greets Mel Gibson at the premiere of "Mad Max: Fury Road" in Hollywood, California Reuters 13/25 Gary Oldman and Tom Hardy appear in 'Child 44' Lionsgate 14/25 #1in4 campaign, part of the BBC's Minds Matter season, of a selfie of Tom Hardy who has thrown his support behind a campaign encouraging people to talk about mental health PA 15/25 Charlotte Riley and Tom Hardy attend the 88th Annual Academy Awards Jason Merritt/Getty Images 16/25 Tom Hardy as Bane with Christian Bale as Batman in The Dark Knight Rises 17/25 Tom Hardy as James Keziah Delaney in 'Taboo' FX Networks / Robert Viglasky 18/25 Tom Hardy as Ivan Locke in 'Locke' 19/25 Tom Hardy attends the Global Triumph Bonneville launch in London Dave Benett 20/25 Tom Hardy as Max Rockatansky in 'Mad Max: Fury Road' Warner Bros 21/25 Tom Hardy as Max Rockatansky in 'Mad Max: Fury Road' Warner Bros 22/25 Tom Hardy as Max Rockatansky in 'Mad Max: Fury Road' Warner Bros 23/25 Tom Hardy as Alfie Solomons in Peaky Blinders Robert Viglasky/Mandabach/Tiger Aspect/BBC 24/25 Tom Hardy as Charles Bronson in the new film 'Bronson'. PUBLICITY PICTURE 25/25 Tom Hardy as a troubled fighter in the 2011 film Warrior

He added: "I asked Tom what happened and he told me he chased him through my back garden and caught him around the block - but the route was like an assault course."

Mr Pullen said he thought Tom even checked the suspect's ID before police arrived.

Hardy, 39, who also starred in blockbusters Batman and The Revenant and recently co-wrote and appeared in BBC drama Taboo, reportedly performed a citizen's arrest on the fleeing suspect.

Mr Pullen's girlfriend, Kalisha, a fan of the actor, told the newspaper: "There was no mistaking him."

A spokeswoman for the star declined to comment.