An American tourist has blasted “lawless London” after being violently robbed just hours into his first-ever trip to the capital.
Eric Ou, a social media influencer with more than 335,000 Instagram followers and 288,000 on TikTok, told GB News he had been in the city for “only five hours” before he was attacked in Soho.
He said a man approached him late at night asking for directions, before suddenly launching into a "Jackie Chan style leg sweep" in an attempt to knock him off balance.
The thug then grabbed both of Mr Ou's gold chains and "snatched them straight off" his neck.
Speaking to Ben Leo on The Late Show, Mr Ou said: "Soho, you know, just going out, nightlife and whatnot.
"This guy approaches me asking for directions somewhere. I don’t quite hear him at first, and then I’m a bit confused.
"He asks me if I’m from here, and I just go, like, what? Before I even know it, he tries a leg-sweep manoeuvre, something you’d see in a Jackie Chan movie.
"Then he just grabs both my gold chains, snatches them right off."
Eric Ou, a social media influencer and 'snatched them straight off' his neck
|GB NEWS
Ben said: "I'm sorry to hear you experienced that. So first of all, you think maybe he had a knife which, by the way, is not uncommon at all. If someone’s going to rob you, they’ve probably got a knife as well."
He was then asked whether this was his first time in London, and if he would return.
“Yeah, it was my first time in London,” he said. “You know what my favourite part about London is? The bear.
"I love that bear, the talking bear. Paddington. That’s my guy.
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The influencer was robbed on a night out in London
| PA"I mean, no disrespect to any part of your city, but Paddington? Work of art. Yeah, I will return.”
The influencer posted a clip on his social media after visiting the city.
"Been in London for five hours and I just got my chain snatched and I got decked in the f**king face," he told his followers.
"London, is this normal? Is this the London experience I've been told about?"
In a follow-up video, the TikTok star revealed the attacker had brandished a knife before striking him in the face and snatching his gold chain.
He later shared a photo of himself enjoying a cup of tea, captioning it: "They took my chains but not my swag."
The ordeal didn’t stop him from exploring London, with Mr Ou posting snaps from a pub visit and sampling the classic British dish, fish and chips.