Six men tried to steal booze from the supermarket in Elephant and Castle last night – becoming aggressive when they were confronted by staff.
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And one of the men then catapulted a sign through the supermarket’s glass doors amid the chaos.
Footage shows glass covering the street after the dramatic scenes on New Kent Road just before 11pm last night.
Met Police confirmed four men had been arrested on suspicion of theft and criminal damage after the drama.
A spokesperson said: “Staff had reported that six men had entered the store and began to conceal spirits in their clothes.
“When confronted by staff the men became hostile and threatening.
“When the group left one of them picked up a sign that was outside the store and damaged a window.”
Four men aged 20, 21, 21, and 22, were arrested near the scene on suspicion of theft and criminal damage.
It comes as supermarkets have been put under immense strain as shoppers panic buy amid fear of a lockdown due to the spread of the coronavirus.
Shoppers have been pictured brawling over toilet paper and booze as panic set in.
Meanwhile footage filmed this morning shows hundreds of desperate customers lining up to pay for their items in Romford, East London, a day before the capital faces a total lockdown.
Others pictures showed hundreds of people queuing to get inside supermarkets in Nottingham and New Malden, South West London, before they opened this morning.
And in one heartbreaking image, an elderly man was pictured desperately at his shopping list in front of empty shelves.
Yesterday, Sainsbury’s announced it would limit sales of every item in its stores as it tries to stamp out panic buying.
Customers will be able to buy a maximum of three of any grocery item and two of the most popular products, such as toilet paper, soap and UHT milk.
And older shoppers will have stores to themselves for the first hour of opening from tomorrow – plus get priority home delivery slots from Monday.
The coronavirus death toll yesterday hit 104, with 2,622 cases recorded so far.
The country is now on the brink with schools across the UK closed at the end of this week.
A nine-month-old boy in Manchester is just one of the latest people to test positive for coronavirus this week while a baby in Norfolk was confirmed with the virus.
London is the epicentre of the UK outbreak, with North Middlesex Hospital believed to have admitted more coronavirus patients than any other NHS trust.
London is braced to enter a lockdown within days – with extra travel restrictions for Brits in the capital.
Sources close to City Hall say the Government is preparing a fresh bill to give them the power to stop gatherings, and keep Londoners inside.
The over 70s, those who are pregnant, and anyone with underlying health conditions (around 20million Brits) should try not to leave their homes if they can, and avoid crowded spaces immediately.
