Thugs knife teenager on hoverboard

A TEENAGER was nearly stabbed to death while riding a hoverboard.

Two men chased the 19-year-old along the pavement before trapping him in an alleyway. One of the attackers produced a knife and slashed him in the face and neck.

Police, who have released CCTV of the pair, said the knife had only narrowly missed the teenager’s jugular vein.

Officers say they are keeping an open mind about the motive for the stabbing on December 5 in Stamford Hill, north-east London. The suspects – one black and one Asian – are thought to be in their teens or early 20s.

A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: ‘The victim was taken to hospital where doctors stated that it can only have been good luck that prevented critical injury to the jugular vein. He has since been discharged.’

Hoverboards, which cost between £200 and £350, have been linked to a spate of fires and accidents. Nawaf Al-Tuwayan, 15, died after he fell off his board and was hit by a bus in north-west London in December.

Several major retailers, including Amazon, stopped selling them after families complained the toys had burst into flames or even exploded while charging.

Trading standards officials found 80 per cent of the gadgets on sale were unsafe.

It is against the law to ride the boards, which have a top speed of around 10mph, on public roads or pavements.