Cycling Mikey, the vigilante cyclist whose real name is Michael van Erp, has denied carrying a knife after a confrontation with two alleged mobile phone thieves in west London was captured on video. The incident took place near Gunnersbury Avenue in Chiswick, with footage posted on Wednesday from both the riders' perspective and Mr van Erp's own YouTube channel.
In the video filmed by the e-bike riders, one of the men recognises Cycling Mikey and shouts: "Oh boy, no way! Is that Cycling Mikey?" after spotting him. The riders then taunt Mr van Erp, with one claiming he pulled out a 'flicky' – slang for a flick-knife – before cycling off and shouting: "Oi, oi, we'll see you soon Mikey."
Mr van Erp's own footage shows him following the pair from the roundabout on Great West Road, telling another cyclist: "Mobile phone thieves those guys." After the confrontation, he called police, saying "I will finish you" while brandishing the item in question. He also claims the alleged thieves disposed of a bag over a bridge above the railway line, and he later searched for it in a nearby graveyard.
Responding to the accusations, Mr van Erp told LBC: "I don't carry a knife and never have. You can just about see it in my own video - it's a rounded black plastic object. I don't think you could hurt anyone with it. Amusingly it's a Sharpie, but there's nothing sharp about it, just a rounded plastic pen. Mind you, they do say the pen is mightier than the sword!"
A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said: "We are aware of footage circulating on social media which appears to show an incident in Gunnersbury Avenue, Chiswick, on an unspecified date. No arrests have been made at this stage. Anybody who witnessed the incident is urged to contact the police by calling 101, or 999 in an emergency."
