This is the moment an elderly military veteran trips up a fleeing thief as two undercover cops chase him along the pavement.

The incident was filmed in the city of Liuzhou in the southern Chinese province of Guangxi last week, and the heroic OAP has just received a bravery award from the police.

According to local reports, the military veteran, named as Zou Zhian, 63, helped to catch a man suspected of stealing over 60 scooters while he was being chased by two undercover cops.

In the footage, the suspect is seen breaking free from one cop before running along the pavement.

As the two officers give chase, the elderly hero, seen standing on the other side of the rail, sees the fleeing suspect getting away and reacts quickly to dash past the barrier and confront him.

With a swift kick of his right leg, the OAP sends the suspect crashing to the ground and he is promptly tackled by one of the cops as the footage ends.

After the incident, the police came to Zhian’s home to give him a ‘Courageous Action’ award.

According to the news site Weibo, Zhian used to be an air force serviceman before working in construction for the railway department.

He told local media that he used to play football on the weekends and continues exercising to this day.

Zhian told officers that he always dreamed of being a cop to uphold justice in the community.

When a netizen asked him if he was frightened about the potential consequences of trying to stop the suspect himself, he replied: “It was justice, I am definitely not afraid of that.”