Actor Benedict Cumberbatch was involved in a furious ten-minute altercation with another cyclist in London on Tuesday afternoon. The 49-year-old star of Sherlock and Doctor Strange was confronted after he allegedly ran a red light while riding his cargo bike.
The Confrontation
Video footage shows a man wearing red trousers shouting at Cumberbatch, calling him 'deluded' and 'you're lying' during the heated exchange. The actor stood his ground, accusing the masked cyclist of 'verbally abusing' him. The argument unfolded at around 5:30 pm and was witnessed by shocked fans and passersby.
According to an onlooker, before the row began, they saw Cumberbatch's cargo bike 'running a red light' in the cycle lane, with the other cyclist in pursuit. The video captures Cumberbatch dismounting and walking across the road to confront the other man, leading to an immediate heated exchange.
Verbal Sparring
The other cyclist shouted, 'you're deluded, you're lying. I was behind you the entire time.' Cumberbatch responded, 'dude, you verbally abused me.' The accuser then made a sarcastic crying gesture and said, 'Oh no, I verbally abused the guy who completely repeatedly broke the law.' Cumberbatch admitted, 'I did it once.' The other cyclist continued, 'and then you went through a zebra crossing, you went through three lights,' to which the actor insisted, 'no, I did not.'
Witness Accounts
The altercation lasted ten minutes before the masked man left. A witness said Cumberbatch then posed with two young fans for a selfie. The fan who filmed the confrontation described it as 'crazy' and 'pompous road rage' that 'almost felt like it had been staged.' They added, 'Benedict still managed to charm everyone watching even though he was having a meltdown. They went at each other about five times.'
The witness noted that the area was busy and the pair blocked the lane, preventing others from passing. The masked cyclist appeared to be 'some kind of vigilante' who was taken aback upon realizing it was Cumberbatch but doubled down on his anger. A group of school children asked if he was Doctor Strange and requested a photo, to which Cumberbatch replied, 'not at the moment, in a minute,' and was 'lovely with them.'
Previous Incident
This is not the first time Cumberbatch has clashed with a cyclist. In 2019, he was involved in an incident on the Isle of Wight where his car allegedly knocked a cyclist off his bike. The cyclist reportedly slapped Cumberbatch after getting up, before realizing he was an A-list star. A friend of the cyclist said it was 'lucky' Benedict was not punched, describing him as 'no shrinking violet.' Despite the initial heat, Cumberbatch offered the cyclist clothing and bottled water to clean up blood and offered a lift to a medical centre. He reported the incident to police but did not press charges over the slap.
