‘Bridgerton' actress Genevieve Chenneour fights off thief, accomplice who ‘threatened to stab' her in shocking coffee shop clash
Chenneour, who played Clara Livingston in the third season of Netflix's hit series 'Bridgerton,' said Wednesday that she was left with a concussion after prolific London thug Zacariah Boulares, 18, attacked her at a Joe & the Juice in London's ritzy Kensington neighborhood.
Shocking footage shows Chenneour, 27, confronting the convicted thief who snuck up behind her before snatching her phone on February 8.
9 Actress Genevieve Chenneour turned the tables on a notorious thief and his accomplice who threatened to stab her 'multiple times' during a bold phone-snatching attempt in London.
Met Police
Chenneour wasted no time springing into action after Boulares — dressed in all black with a navy baseball cap — pounced to grab her device just moments after his friend left the table.
The actress — a former Team GB artistic swimmer — put her arm out to block Boulares from leaving the premises, causing him to drop the phone on the floor.
She successfully retrieves the phone while Boulares grapples with her friend, leaving onlookers stunned.
'The guy that walks up to me at the end was the man threatening to stab me multiple times,' Chenneour wrote on her Instagram Story Wednesday.
'That was the moment something took over me and the physical fight became life or death in my mind. Crazy, watching the beginning of this footage, it gives me chills.'
9 Chenneour said she was left with a concussion after she was attacked at a Joe & the Juice in London's ritzy Kensington neighborhood.
Met Police
9 Prolific London thug Zacariah Boulares, 18, pleaded guilty to the attack on the Netflix star.
Met Police
After sharing several other clips of the ordeal with her 15,000 followers on the platform, the actress added, 'Man I feel sick watching this.'
Another video showed her distressed Maltipoo pup during the physical brawl.
'My poor baby was screaming and barking. I now have a major issue with people touching me in front of him thanks to these c–s,' the Netflix star added.
Chenneour claimed that authorities released Boulares' accomplice due to insufficient evidence.
'The man that threatened to stab me will not be going to court and has been released due to lack of evidence,' she wrote. 'I know karma will get him.'
9 Shocking footage shows Chenneour, 27, confronting the convicted thief who snuck up behind her before snatching her phone on February 8.
Met Police
9 The actress put her arm out to block Boulares from leaving the premises, causing him to drop the phone on the floor.
@genevievechenneour/Instagram
Chenneour previously opened up about the distressing incident in an interview with the Daily Mail, saying the thugs 'didn't expect' her to fight back.
'I was left with a concussion just before the Screen Actors Guild Awards and since then, I've felt constantly on edge,' she told the outlet.
'Even my dog was traumatized — now, if anyone touches me, he panics and tries to protect me. Getting a coffee shouldn't be something you need your wits about you for.'
9 Chenneour claimed that authorities released Boulares' accomplice due to insufficient evidence.
The Hollywood Reporter via Getty Images
9 The actress recounted the harrowing ordeal on her Instagram Story.
@genevievechenneour/Instagram
'I'm so grateful to the staff at Joe & The Juice — they were incredible during the incident and when I went back to see them after,' she added.
Boulares has a long criminal record and previously served time for threatening to behead Welsh singer Aled Jones during a robbery in which he stole the singer's $23,000 Rolex in London.
The then-16-year-old was sentenced to 24 months in custody for the attack in October 2023 but was released early after serving just 14 months.
'That moment is a blur of survival. And to know that Boulares had previously walked the street with a machete makes me realize how serious this threat was,' Chenneour said following the ordeal.
'London has become increasingly dangerous, and this cannot be normalized. I'm not just speaking for myself — I'm speaking for every person who's had enough.'
9 Chenneour played Clara Livingston in the third season of Netflix's hit series 'Bridgerton.'
Netflix
9 The actress shared clips of the ordeal with her 15,000 followers on the platform.
@genevievechenneour/Instagram
The Algerian national has since been involved in a series of criminal offenses and has pleaded guilty to the attack on Chenneour, as well as the assault of another customer.
The Metropolitan Police had identified Boulares in surveillance footage from the attack. He will be sentenced on June 17.
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