Dumbfounded witnesses said Hardy appeared to "switch into superhero mode in an action movie" as he sprinted through gardens and a building site before grabbing the thief by the scruff of the neck and declaring, "I caught the c***".
No stranger to chasing after criminals, performing stunts and carrying out fight scenes in his movie roles, the actor is said to have stunned passersby as he leapt over a wall and sprinted through the streets of Richmond.
Hardy - who has starred in Taboo, The Revenant, Mad Max and Legend - threw the alleged thief into a bus stop before patting him down for weapons and checking his ID.
TOM HARDY CHASED AFTER A THIEF AND CAUGHT HIM. WHEN WILL YOUR FAV EVER??? SOME MEN ARE TALK HE IS ALL ACTION. #TomHardy
Arun Pullen, 22, told The Sun: "It was mental - like he'd switched to superhero mode in an action movie. "Tom Hardy's clearly not a man you'd mess with. I think he even checked the kid's ID before cops took over."
Witnesses claim the actor said: "This little s*** nicked something and now he's got himself a broken leg."
According to The Sun, two men were riding the stolen bike which crashed into a Mercedes. Both were injured and one was caught by police while the other fled the scene - before being caught by the actor.
