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.

kids will be kids..

Adults will be adults.. and given the oppurtunity knock out the punk's teeth whilst mentally preparing a self-defence statement.

While I would not be suprised if there was an organised element to this, I do think it could be just kids mucking about.

I got a phone book thrown in my direction once, but the attacker was about 11 years old with his mates.

I managed to brush off the book, turn around and went straight for him shouting 'I'm Gonna Kill You!'

Hopefully he shit himself more than I did.

Every time I've swung around to confront someone who's thrown something at me, they've legged it. Fucking chickens.

Yeah he did leg it, he had to jump a wall otherwise he would have been run over.

surely the correct etiquette would be to carry a lance when roaming east of Peckham Rye?

Paddykelly's post reads like a freestyle rap from either Hydrogen or Boost:

YouTube- Freestyle Rap Battle: Translated

there are a few forumengers who have posted about their experiences down that neck of the woods
be careful out there people

sheet my manor, cheers for posting. Glad yr ok!

Carrying a stick or tying a rope across the road are premeditated acts. No different from putting stones on a train line

little cunts

sheet my manor, cheers for posting. Glad yr ok!

cheers, but just to be clear, it wasn't me who was attacked, I just reposted it here because as dicki said, there's a fair few forumengers (including me) in the area. Grim stuff...

Carrying a stick or tying a rope across the road are premeditated acts. No different from putting stones on a train line

De-railing a train is likely to lead to far more deaths and a substantial amount of effort to get the transport link re-opened.

Kinda different I'd say.

I had a football deliberately kicked at me by some little fucks in the estate opposite pentonville prison recently. It clipped my head so I stopped, turned and headed for the culprit swearing. I was expecting him to leg it as he can't have been more than 15 or 16 but he approached me bold as brass and was giving it "What the fuck are you gonna do about it?" I punched him in the mouth and he looked surprised. His mates were pissing themselves laughing. Then I rode off. And no, I don't have any bad conscience over the matter before the moral guideline police tell me off. If you're going to try and knock people off their bikes for fun, at least have the decency to run away laughing and not start a fight.

While I would not be suprised if there was an organised element to this, I do think it could be just kids mucking about.

Oh well, that makes it OK then. Phew.

I punched him in the mouth...

Good job Sir!

No different from putting stones on a train line

little cunts

I once put a 2p on a train line, it got flattened to the size of a tangerine. Don't have it anymore though.

De-railing a train is likely to lead to far more deaths and a substantial amount of effort to get the transport link re-opened.

Kinda different I'd say.

it was in response to the "its kids mucking about"

if you deliberately set up a trip wire which has potentially very dangerous consequences then it is premeditated and they are little cunts.

Oh well, that makes it OK then. Phew.

As in. The Police probably won't be interested over sporadic/unrelated attacks by bored youths, unless caught in the act. *Never gonna happen.

From Stolen bikes thread...

3 kids tried to kick me off my bike tonight on Crimscott St, SE1.

It's mad that I always feel safe on my bike in London any time of the day/night but now I feel a little bit vulnerable. Just thought I'd put it out there so people watch out down the back streets.

I'm buying downhill body armor.

I encountered a group of yooves at the top end of that area, closer to Nunhead, quite a few times. They started jeering, then throwing stuff. The last thing they threw at me was a frisbee. Instead of calling them and their Mothers names (you have to speak in their language) as per usual, I caught it, said, Nice one, thanks, and took it home.
I never saw them when I had my polo mallet...

As in. The Police probably won't be interested over sporadic/unrelated attacks by bored youths, unless caught in the act. *Never gonna happen.

"probably" would be "definitely"

i think i just moved into the wrong area... ie. SE5

I ride up the side of Peckham rye park every day (west side) so thanks for the heads up. Peckham is by far my least favorite part of the journey.

I love Peckham- lived, and sometimes worked, in the area for many years. if you think it's bad now you should have seen it in the late seventies and eary eighties when the council was practically bankrupt.