An ex-police officer was injured after six men attacked him and his son in south London.
Adrian Matthews, 45, and his 13-year old son were riding back from a velodrome when six men attacked them near the South Circular junction on July 17.
It comes amid a spike in violent bike-jackings in the Dulwich area; gangs are believed to be targeting cyclists travelling to and from the velodrome.
The six men reportedly kicked Adrian’s son after attempting to first kick him. The 13-year old swerved onto the kerb.
“As soon as I saw them kick my son, I got really angry”, Matthews told Metro.
Matthews grabbed the phone of one of the men, leading to a street-side brawl.
He said: “I threw his phone about 40ft down the street, and he punched me on the side of my face. His helmet visor was open, so I grabbed him by the helmet and dragged him towards the floor.
“He pushed me into the side posts with chains in between, and I tripped. As a result of tripping over, they instantly jumped on me, kicking me in the face, the back and stomping all over my body.”
Matthews’ £2,000 bike was stolen in the altercation, with the father-of-three left with bruises, a black eye and a broken rib.
Matthews said he was concerned for his son. The former police officer said: “He was just in a shock, because he has never seen anything like this happen before and it is completely against his nature.
“I kept asking if I had been stabbed as it felt like something went inside. It was a mob.”
An ambulance crew checked Matthews over and located his bike pouch and mobile phone nearby.
Matthews is now urging for more action to fight against bike-jacking attacks.
He said: “There is no defence from them taking your bike. We are trying to get kids to enjoy cycling and kids to go out independently and to stay fit and healthy, and this has just smashed the level of confidence in my family as to whether we can take our kids out again.
“Luckily, it was my eldest one – if it had been my eight or ten-year-old, they probably would have been destroyed.”
Matthews’ local cycling group, Velo Club Londres, said the attack has “deeply shaken” the local community.
Hanan Hauari, the club’s chair, said: “Sadly, this wasn’t an isolated incident – we are hearing of more cyclists being targeted in south London, often while returning from training or commuting. These crimes are violent, coordinated, and clearly escalating.”
The robbery is under investigation by the Metropolitan Police.
“The man received minor injuries in the incident but did not require treatment. There have been no arrests at this stage and enquiries continue”, the force said.
It comes after a series of similar bike-jacking attacks. Last month, James Zuccollo suffered a broken hand when he was chased by two men on mopeds on his commute home.
Zuccollo’s £4,000 bicycle was stolen in the altercation.
There have been reports of at least one further attack and one attempt on College Road. In Croydon, there have been reports of two assaults on riders on Shirley Church Road.
Bike riders in Regent’s Park have also become targets, with Patrick Conneely, 33, having his bike stolen when two men armed with hammers attacked him on central London’s Outer Circle.
