CCTV shows moment Birmingham burglar legs it after being spotted by police

by · Birmingham Live

CCTV footage has captured the moment a Birmingham burglar was chased down within minutes of police being called to the scene. Crews from West Midlands Police's Operation Skybridge team were responding to reports of a break-in at a house in Erdington when they spotted Tesfa Bernard-Wheeler fleeing the property.

Footage of the scene captured how after seeing the lights of a police car, Bernard-Wheeler hid below a bush in a front garden before running away into the street. Officers chased after the 28-year-old and he was arrested in a neighbouring garden just minutes later on the night of the break-in on October 8.

Officers also recovered a Sur-Ron electric bike, belonging to Bernard-Wheeler, along with tools and cash. He was jailed on November 8 at Birmingham Crown Court.

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Tesfa Bernard-Wheeler of Sturge Close, Selly Oak, was sentenced to a year and eight months in jail at Birmingham Crown Court on Friday November 8 after police caught him fleeing from a property in Erdington (Image: West Midlands Police)

West Midlands Police spoke of how officers a matched the clothing Bernard-Wheeler was wearing with CCTV from the house burglary in Jerry's Lane. The force said all the evidence meant the 28-year-old "had little choice" but to admit the burglary during the early hours of October 8.

Bernard-Wheeler, of Sturge Close, Selly Oak, was sentenced to a year and eight months in jail at Birmingham Crown Court on Friday November 8. An order was also made to prevent him retrieving the Sur-Ron bike, gloves, balaclava screwdrivers, mole grips and £320 cash.

A burglar is behind bars following swift work from West Midlands Police's new proactive crime team. Tesfa Bernard-Wheeler tried to run off but officers chased after him and he was arrested just minutes later (Image: West Midlands Police)

It is the first jail term secured through Operation Skybridge which launched in Birmingham in September 2024. West Midlands Police said the aim of the newly-formed team is to respond to intelligence and support local teams in tackling issues which impact on communities such as robbery, burglary, vehicle and drug crime.

The team is made up of both plain clothed and uniformed officers who can provide extra resources to target hotspot areas. Sergeant Leon Butler said following sentencing: "We've already seen the real difference Op Skybridge can make with arrests and the recovery of drugs and weapons across Birmingham.

"We were deployed in Erdington at the time and after being alerted to the burglary we were there within minutes. Bernard-Wheeler tried to run off but he didn't get far, just into a nearby garden. We've not been formed too long and this will be the first of many jail terms we expect to secure in the months to come."

West Midlands Police also issued a message to the public to say if they have information about crime their area then then to call 101 quoting #OpSkybridge. The force said: "The intelligence we receive will be considered and acted upon."