A 62-year-old former police officer was violently kicked off his bike in what he believes was a targeted robbery attempt while cycling in Croydon.
The shocking attack happened to David Amos on Shirley Church Road on Monday, July 21 at 6pm as he was slowly cycling uphill.
Two people on a scooter allegedly crept up behind him without a number plate visible, before the passenger delivered a hard kick to his hip.
“I had a boot mark on my jersey as they gave me hell of a whack,” Dave told the News Shopper.
Dave, who lives in Shortlands, was left bruised and shaken but otherwise uninjured after the incident.
Dave explained: “I was cycling uphill going slowly and I became aware that something was behind me and hadn’t overtaken.
“I glanced to my right and there was a motorbike wheel right by me, around a foot away.
“And at that point, I felt a sharp impact with my hip.”
Dave said the force of the kick caused him to veer off the road, mount the kerb, and end up over the grass verge and into the trees.
Despite the force of the blow, he managed to stay on his bike.
He added: “As luck would have it, I was able to stay upright but was forced off the road, up the kerb and over the verge.
“The lads stopped ahead and looked back, presumably to assess their handiwork.”
The attack left him with a punctured tyre, stiffness, and a bruised hip – but he fears it could have been far worse.
“If this was a lone woman cyclist she could have ended up in a worse condition,” he said.
Witnesses walking behind Dave confirmed what happened and said the passenger had “booted him in the ribs.”
After the incident, Dave tried to confront the pair.
“I got off my bike and to paraphrase I said, ‘come back lads, let’s talk about this’ whilst shaking my fist angrily,” he said.
But the attackers quickly rode off towards New Addington.
Dave reported the incident to police and was later told by a passing motorist that another cyclist may have required medical attention further up the road, though it’s not clear if the two incidents are linked.
A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police confirmed that an investigation into the circumstances continue and no arrests have been made at this stage.
Dave, who worked in law enforcement for years, is convinced the pair were trying to rob him.
He said: “I have no doubt they were trying to knock me off to steal my bike.
“They don’t want the whole bike, but they want components of the bike and want you off it.”
“I didn’t annoy a road user – this wasn’t grief from a driver.
“I wasn’t riding away with a fancy watch; I was just trying to ride up the hill.”
A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police said: “On Monday, 21 July we received an online report from a man in his 60s who had allegedly been assaulted by two men on a scooter at Shirley Church Road, Croydon.
“Inquiries continue and no arrests have been made.”
