Video captured the terrifying moment a mob of bicyclists attacked a man in downtown Los Angeles on Thursday.
The victim was knocked to the ground, kicked and stomped on by a group of young men in broad daylight near Hill and 6th Streets around 4 p.m.
The attack took place in the jewelry district where the witness who captured the video said he was working on the 13th floor of an office building when he heard a loud commotion outside.
When he looked down onto the street, that’s when he spotted the violent altercation.
As the victim was being kicked and beaten, one of the suspects can be seen bashing the victim’s truck windshield with his bike handle.
“It was horrible,” said the witness, identified only as Gary. “When I got to the window, I saw probably about six or seven kids on bicycles. There was a white pickup truck parked out front and I saw somebody smashing in the window with his bike.”
Video shows the victim falling on the sidewalk as the group of men kick him relentlessly while yelling loudly.
Gary said other jewelers in the area came to the man’s rescue and broke up the fight, allowing the man to get into his truck and drive away. After the man left, the assailants continued riding their bikes in the middle of the street, blocking traffic, he said.
Although it’s unclear what prompted the attack, Gary claims the victim may have hit one of the bikers and attempted to drive away but became stuck in traffic.
“That’s when they were able to catch up to him, banging on his windows, banging on his truck and then he pulled over and jumped out and he got [beaten],” said Gary.
However, another jeweler tells KTLA the bikers were swerving in and out of traffic like they “owned the road” when the victim honked at them after they cut him off in traffic.
On Friday, LAPD confirmed it had received a call reporting ten males on bicycles ranging in age from 15-18 years old. By the time officers arrived, however, everyone involved had dispersed, LAPD officials said.
But on Saturday, the LAPD Central Division released a statement in which it said it was aware of the video circulating online, but said no one has come forward to officially report it.