Police were called to the O2 store in Tottenham Court Road around 7.15pm yesterday (July 24).
Three men wearing balaclavas had allegedly entered the shop and stolen around 100 iPhones and a number of Apple Watches worth around £100,000.
Officers arrived and arrested three suspects – aged 18, 24 and 25 – in nearby Cranleigh Street.
The video shows an officer emptying a bag of a large number of iPhones before the discovery of a large machete.
Chief Superintendent Jason Stewart, responsible for policing in Camden, said: “We know people are concerned about crime in the West End and these arrests are just one example of the hard work officers are doing every day to proactively target offenders and make the area safer.
“We’re working closely with businesses to focus on tackling the crimes that cause a misery to the lives of their staff, as well as residents and visitors.
“Across London we’re arresting 1,000 more criminals each month, neighbourhood crime is down 19 per cent and we’ve solved 163 per cent more shoplifting cases this year.
“Through precise community crimefighting we will continue to focus our resources and bear down on prolific offenders and criminal gangs.”
In June, the Met arrested 10 men as part of a separate investigation into robberies at phone shops in London and south England.
