A man has died after he was “struck in the face” by a suspected car thief.

Police were called to Boundary Lane in Plaistow at around 4.45am on October 16 after receiving reports that two men were allegedly breaking into cars along the street.

Officers arrested a 25-year-old man at the scene, and located a set of car keys registered to a home nearly four miles away in Matcham Road, Leytonstone.

When police attended this address, they found 68-year-old Evaldas Simanaitis seriously injured.

He was rushed to hospital in a critical condition by the London Ambulance Service (LAS).

Despite the best efforts of medical staff, he died in the early hours of Thursday (October 26).

Evaldas’ family have been informed and a post-mortem examination will be held in due course.

Police have said that CCTV footage from the morning of the incident shows that the victim shouted at two men outside his home at around 4am.

One of the men then allegedly hit him in the face, with the 68-year-old falling to the ground.

Detectives have now appealed for anyone with information about the incident to contact police.

Detective Chief Inspector Dave Whellam said: “Although an arrest was quickly made as officers responded to the call from Boundary Lane, we still need to establish exactly what happened earlier that night.

“Did you see or hear a disturbance in the early hours of Monday, 16 October?

“Please can you check any CCTV cameras, or footage captured on your doorbell? We need your help to identify the second person who was there.”

Chief Superintendent Simon Crick said: “We know that this incident will have created a lot of distress in the area.

“A man has lost his life, and I would like to assure you that we are working with our colleagues and doing everything we can to establish what happened.

“I would encourage anyone with concerns to speak with your local officers. We are here to listen, and will take any action as appropriate.”

A 25-year-old has been charged in connection with the investigation.

Police enquiries continue to identify and locate the second man.

Anyone with information is asked to call police via 101 quoting reference CAD 847/16Oct.

To remain anonymous contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.