Gang in New York targeting riders of electric bikes

Police in New York City are warning cyclists to be on the alert after a spate of attacks in the past month targeting people riding electric bikes.

Thieves have attacked riders with weapons including sticks, fence posts and branches from trees in the attacks in Manhattan's Riverside Park, reports DNAinfo.

Four separate incidents, all of them taking place between 11pm and 1am, have been reported with the riders also robbed of items such as mobile phones and cash, according to the New York Police Department (NYPD).

The incidents took place between 15 August and 2 September, with the first victim, a 29-year-old man, pushed off his bike which was stolen together with $200 and his iPhone.

On August 19, a 32-year-old male was robbed of his Schwinn electric bike, as well as his Motorola cellphone.

Another electric bike rider, a 34-year-old man, was attacked on 24 August, with the thieves beating him with a tree branch but he managed to keep his bike.

On 2 September another man, aged 27, was the victim of an attack by a group of men armed with a fence post. They stole his electric Haibike and other items including his iPhone and backpack.

Three of the four victims required hospital treatment for injuries including bruising and abrasions, while the man targeted in the latest incident gave police a detailed description of one of his assailants.

He was described as having a small goatee beard and was wearing a baseball cap, as well as a stud earring in his left ear.