A man who wrestled a suspected thief to the ground in a Thai restaurant and held him until police arrived has been hailed as a hero.

Stephen Doran, 32, a psychologist and self-help author, was dining with friends at Thai Moom in Petts Wood on Sunday (August 19) at around 6.30pm when they heard a commotion.

Shouting was heard from across the restaurant as a man who allegedly grabbed cash from the till made a dash for the door.

Stephen, who was a semi-finalist on BBC series Special Forces: Ultimate Hell Week, is a former MMA fighter but his career was cut short due to injury. 

Asked about the incident, the former fireman of seven years said: "At first I thought there was a fight or something.

"I looked over and realised one of the guys was a waiter and another had a load of money in his hand which it looked like he had just grabbed.

"The waiter was trying to hold him."

"I saw an opportunity and made a run and tried to catch him just before he went out of the door.

"He was struggling at first then calmed down after a few minutes and realised he was not going anyway."

Danielle Scully, 30, who was with Stephen, told News Shopper: “Stephen saw the altercation and the money on the floor and he ran up and somehow tackled the guy to the ground.

“The guy would have got away otherwise because he escaped the waiter after a struggle. Stephen was clapped by everyone when he restrained him.”

Danielle, who with Stephen is from Petts Wood, said police arrived at the restaurant in Queensway 10 minutes later and led the suspected criminal away in handcuffs.

"He is a hero but he would never admit it," she said.

“I have known him for 15 years and he is a selfless person who goes above and beyond.

“Loads of people in there didn’t do anything but Stephen acted very quickly in helping the restaurant recover its cash takings and apprehending the perpetrator in a calm manner.”

The Thai Moon expressed its gratitude to Stephen by helping to cover the table’s bill.

Stephen is a former member of the fire service before he started his own businesses.

A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police said: "A 39-year-old man has been arrested and taken to a south London police station.

"He was arrested on suspicion of burglary.

"He was initially arrested for theft but it looks like it's now burglary, he's tried to steal from the till. He has been released under investigation."