Armed thugs target riders on cycle path
TEENAGE thugs have been targeting cyclists on the Fallowfield Loop – but police said they are closing in on the gang.
Scores of people have reported daylight robberies, assaults and attempted muggings on the popular south Manchester cycle path over the past week.
The youths, brandishing wooden sticks, have targeted cyclists as they slow down to negotiate a chicane on the track. Officers said the incidents have all taken place in and around the loop within Chorlton, Whalley Range and close to Alexandra Park.
Police have ramped up patrols in the area with mounted officers and PCSOs providing a high-visibility presence on the eight-mile stretch.
Two teenage boys, both aged 15, have now been arrested in relation to the incidents.
In one violent attack a man was knocked off his saddle by two thugs who tried to wrestle his bike from his grasp, the M.E.N. understands.
He managed to escape with a grazed shin but spotted the pair on the Loop again the following day and was forced to cycle past them.
A mum has also warned people to be wary on the towpath after her teenage son was mugged.
And one man has vowed never to use the route again after a teenager swiped at his head with a large piece of wood.
Richard, who didn’t want his surname used, said: “I was on my mountain bike riding along and there was a kid in a grey tracksuit with a manbag standing in the middle of the chicane. He was shouting: ‘get off your f ****** bike.’ His mate was standing behind him with a big stick. He swung the wood at my head and just missed me. I pedalled off as quick as I could.
“It was horrible. I won’t ride down there again.”
The incident happened close to Athol Road, in Whalley Range, at around 3pm on Sunday, June 25.
Police said at least eight robberies have been reported along the route – which stretches from Chorlton to Gorton via Levenshulme and Fallowfield – since Saturday, June 24.
Insp Shoheb Chowdhury said two teenagers have been arrested after reports of robberies and attempted thefts on the route.
He said: “The offenders have threatened victims with violence and used large sticks to intimidate people. They normally target young people on bikes.”
A 15-year-old boy has been arrested on suspicion of possession of a knife and released on police bail. Another boy, also 15, has been arrested on suspicion of robbery.
The latest string of attacks follows a similar spate on the Fallowfield Loop last summer.