An American analysed the video and posted on YouTube. Look it up. Or look the thread up about it. It’s posted on there. He may have had his hand on the bike but he couldn’t use it as under the rules of the free 45 min scheme he had to wait 20 mins before being allowed to take the bike for free and the 20 mins weren’t up… again there is evidence to show this was the case.
The scheme is set up this way precisely so that paying members of the public can make use of the bikes otherwise there could be a situation, where no bikes are free for paying members. He just wanted this bike as it was a snazzy new electric one and he wanted to continue cycling with it. An older style pedal bike would have done the job but he wanted that particular bike.
He and his mates apparently go around scouting them out, which is a great hobby to have. But not to the detriment of others, who also want to use them when they’re not on hire. As was the case in this instance. She wasn’t stealing his bike.
The American in the video explained that the bike was 100% in the woman’s possession as the light was on indicating it was in hire. At this point the boy should have let go. Instead, he forcibly redocked it whilst she whilst she was attempting to take the bike away. I am not sure if she realised straight away he redocked it or if she thought he was trying to steal it from her. These bikes are very expensive and she’d have been liable.
What she then said put the boy in danger and she shouldn’t have said it. The boy (almost a man, 17, I think) acted like complete dick over a bike he didn’t own. She then also acted like a dick. Both were in the wrong. In that situation, I’d probably also have struggled to walk away. I wouldn’t have said what she said of course. In her defence, she’d just completed a 12 hour shift whereas the boys were pursuing a hobby. In his defence, he is young and was acting as though the bike was his when it was not.
Luckily one of his mates then de-escalated and told her to use the new style electric bike that he was also waiting to use. He acted more maturely than anyone else there. His mum otoh couldn’t see anything her boy did wrong, which I think was really sad, especially as she is a woman and should be teaching her boy to respect women in general and more so with vulnerable and pregnant women. Had my 15 yo dd done this, I’d have read her the riot act. And I’m sure if it had been his mum or sister in this situation, they’d have been horrified.
So yes, I’ve seen the video multiple times. And read several articles from different perspectives.