Three masked moped-riding teenagers arrested after “horrifying” series of attacks on cyclists

Three teenagers have been arrested following what one cyclist described as a “horrifying spike” in attacks on people riding bikes at the hands of “laughing” masked moped users in Bristol, which have left two cyclists with broken collarbones and fractured fingers respectively, while one woman was also reportedly sexually assaulted by the moped riders.

Avon and Somerset Police have confirmed that three boys, aged 14, 15, and 16, were arrested over the past week as part of the force’s investigation into 13 incidents involving two or three riders on one moped pushing, or attempting to push, cyclists off their bikes.

Of the 13 separate attacks so far identified by police, seven took place on Bristol’s Feeder Road, next to Netham Park in the west of the city, while the rest occurred across south Bristol.

Feeder Road, Bristol 

It is not yet clear if all three teenagers arrested were involved in every attack, though Bristol East Neighbourhood Policing Inspector Thomas Tooth said earlier this month that the incidents were “being treated as linked”.

Most of the cyclists attacked escaped with bruises, cuts, and grazes, though one rider, a man in his 60s who was cycling to work when he was pushed off his bike, reported that he broke his collarbone, while a woman sustained fractures to her fingers.

The police also confirmed that they received one report of a woman being sexually assaulted by the riders of a moped in Netham Park.

> 15-year-old boy arrested after violent attack on cyclist near Box Hill which left victim seriously injured with punctured lung when masked thugs on motorbike kicked him off popular cycle path

All of the incidents which have been reported so far took place in one week, between Tuesday 3 and Saturday 7 December, prompting cyclists in Bristol to take to social media earlier this month to warn others of the danger posed by the serial attackers, who were reported to have been riding a black moped, two or three at a time, with their faces covered.

“I got pushed off my bike tonight by two people all in black on a moped. They didn’t stop, I heard them laughing as they rode off,” one victim wrote on the Bristol Cyclists Facebook group at the start of December.

“I’m alright, just got cuts and bruises. It was on Cattle Market Road/Feeder Road, on the Motion side of the tunnel. Have reported to police.

“Posting here as I see a fellow cyclist was similarly assaulted just over a week ago on Feeder Road. PLEASE be careful in this area or consider a detour if you can.”

In the replies to the post, other cyclists reported similar attacks by moped-riding youths near Cabot Circus, on the Bristol and Bath Railway Path, and on Bedminster Parade, Brislington Parade, and Wells Road.

> “Copycat” moped mugger kicks cyclist into fence, threatens to stab him, and steals bike in yet another violent bikejacking

Speaking to Bristol24/7, the colleague of the cyclist who broke his collarbone in the attack on Feeder Road said: “They tried to get me first but I wasn’t going too fast and put my foot down but my colleague who was about 50m ahead wasn’t so lucky.”

She added: “I’m keen to ensure as many people who cycle in Bristol have knowledge of this and can be vigilant and help to ensure the police are taking this seriously.”

Another cyclist who contacted Bristol24/7 said there had been a “horrifying spike in the number of assaults on cyclists, often by masked moped riders, which have then had no appreciable reaction from the police whatsoever”.

However, Avon and Somerset Police have now confirmed that three teenage boys have been arrested this week in connection with the reported assaults, and released on bail.

Anyone with information about the attacks has also been asked to call 101 and quote the reference number 5224321329.

> Shocking footage of cyclist pushed into parked car by masked motorbike rider

Attacks on cyclists by masked motorbike or moped riders have become an increasingly worrying occurrence in recent years throughout the UK.

In October, shocking footage emerged online of a cyclist being pushed into a parked car by a masked motorbike rider in south London.

The motorbike rider filmed the incident before uploading the video to Snapchat, from where it has since been re-shared on other social media sites.

In the footage, the cyclist could be seen being kicked by the motorbike rider as they pass, sending the victim away from the centre of the lane, where they hit the kerb and suffer a heavy impact with a parked car.

That incident came just weeks after Nottinghamshire Police released footage captured by a cyclist’s rear camera of a car passenger pushing them off their bike in a similar “despicable random attack”.

Earlier in October a cyclist in North Yorkshire also suffered a broken arm after a car passenger shoved him off his bike.

In June, a teenager was arrested after a cyclist from Surrey was violently attacked by masked thugs on motorbikes while using a segregated cycling route near Box Hill, the rider suffering broken bones and a punctured lung when he was aggressively kicked from his bike while riding along the path.

And earlier this year, in France, two men whose “only motive was idiocy”, according to a judge, were given two-year suspended prison sentences after a spate of incidents which saw them push cyclists into ditches for “fun”.

At least 12 cyclists were pushed from their bikes in similar incidents in rural south-west France over a period of several months, with some suffering injuries including a fractured wrist and collarbone.