Officers from the Roads Transport Policing Command have arrested a 20-year-old man after two instances of moped enabled mobile phone snatches.
Police received several calls at approximately 13:30hrs on Tuesday, 12 May to reports of a man, armed with an axe, riding a moped threatening members of the public in the Portland Place area of W1. In one instance the man attempted to snatch a mobile phone from a member of the public.
There were no reports of any injuries.
Officers traced the rider to an address in Riversdale Road, N5 and he was arrested at approximately 15:00hrs on suspicion of theft and theft of a motor vehicle.
After a search of the property, a number of phones and a moped were recovered. The moped has been reported as stolen.
The man has also been arrested in connection with an incident where a mobile phone was snatched from a man by a moped rider in Crouch Hill, N8 on 15 April.
He remains in custody at a north London police station.
Enquiries continue.