2010-03-15 - Attempted bikejacking/mugging, Peckham Rye/Nunhead

I have no idea if this is right section for this, but since its the place where people mark incidents and ask for witnesses maybe it is? (though please move it if its wrong!)

Via East Dulwich Forum:

I wanted to make the forum aware of an incident that I became involved in yesterday evening while cycling home. This was about 10pm on the east side of Peckham Rye Park heading towards Nunhead. I was on my bike returning from five-a-side football when I passed a teenager (who on reflection was walking very close to the outside of the pavement), as I passed he drew his hand up and hit me across the arm with a stick. I did not have any time to react and as it was quite dark I did not see the stick in his had so had no time to swerve or avoid the blow. I immediately stopped and dismounted and shouted at the teen to stop. He entered the entrance of Waveney estate and was bating me to follow. There was another person hanging around by the entrance and there was a definite intimation that there was an ambush of some sort waiting if I pursued him further. In any case I grabbed my bike chain and asked fairly politely (all things considered) for him to stay where he was and that I'd be happy for him to attempt another swing of his stick. Needless to say (after some fairly obscene gestures and comments about my mother) he ran off into the estate like the coward he undoubtedly is.

My worry is that this is a very busy cycle route for many people and I'm sure this is not the first time this particular individual has attempted to hit someone cycling past. If you are cycling up that way please be aware of anyone walking close to the edge of the pavement. There are usually plenty of people around so either dismount and approach someone who looks reasonably trustful or if safe to do so move out to the other side of the road.

Also further down the thread some local stuff I'd not heard about before:

(1) On Court Lane last year, a couple of guys hang around a lamp-post to which a rope is tied. The rope lies along the ground across the road to the other side at the feet of a further couple of guys. When a cyclist approaches the guys with the loose end of rope raise the rope sharply so as to cause the cyclist to crash into it, at which point they steal your bike, bag, and anything else of value. I was very fortunate, although I did not see the rope until the very last second, I saw the (four) guys - two on each side of the road. My gut feeling told me that something was not quite right so I planned to stop short of them by about 10 feet and do a quick about-turn. Fortunately I managed it, in time to see the rope get raised...I got away safely. They didn't bother chasing me - thank God.

(2) On John Ruskin Street, a group of guys threw a car hubcap into the direct path of my front wheel presumably with the intention that I should go over. Again, someone was looking over me, and I managed to lift the bike over the missile as I continued cycling. But it frightened the hell out of me.