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Thieves Using Tripwire & Brass Knuckles To Rob Cyclists
By
Christopher Robbins
Published Sep 4, 2013
Modified Sep 4, 2013
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By
Christopher Robbins
Published Sep 4, 2013
Modified Sep 4, 2013
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Thieves used a tripwire, a baseball bat, and brass knuckles to trap and beat at least two cyclists in Fort Washington Park recently. Police sources told the Daily News that on August 24th, the thieves ran a rope across the bike path near Riverside Drive and West 177th. When a cyclist pedaled through the portion at around 11:15 p.m., the men pulled the line taught, clotheslining the cyclist in the neck. The man was later beaten with brass knuckles and had his $1,500 Cannondale stolen, along with an iPhone and $500 in cash.
The second reported robbery was less sophisticated: last Thursday at around 9:30 p.m. the thieves simply beat a cyclist off his bike with a bat, stealing his wallet, Kindle, iPhone, and Felt Zoom bike, worth about $1,000.
Both victims were from New Jersey. Police describe their attackers as "Latino men in their 20s."
Keith Cho, the first victim, wasn't critically injured, but he suffered a welt on his neck where the rope hit him, and his eye was swollen shut from the beating. “It was very traumatic. I’ve never been jumped before," Cho told CBS. “I’ve lived in this area for 35 years and for the first time in my life I feel unsafe to come to this city."
As awful as this is, at least the thieves have a motive other than to just point and laugh at human misery.
Tagged
bike lanes
crime
cycling
cyclists
riverside park
Christopher Robbins
Christopher Robbins is a New York City reporter covering transportation, affordable housing, local politics, and criminal justice. His work has also appeared in New York Magazine, The Village Voice and The New York Times. Chris is a graduate of Patrick Henry High School in Roanoke, Virginia, and enjoys biking to Fort Tilden in the summertime.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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