Police appeal for key witness after knifepoint robbery attempt in Reading
Officers seek man seen on CCTV following late-night e-bike incident involving two suspects
Police are urging a key witness to come forward following an attempted knifepoint robbery in Reading.
The incident occurred at around 11:30pm on Saturday, 4 April, at the junction of Pell Street and Elgar Road. According to reports, two males riding an e-bike pursued another e-bike rider before attempting to steal his vehicle while threatening him with a knife.
The victim, a man in his twenties, sustained minor injuries during the encounter. However, no property was taken.
Investigators say a man captured on CCTV appears to have witnessed the incident but has not yet spoken to police. Officers believe his account could be crucial to the investigation and are appealing for him to come forward.
Descriptions of the two suspects have been released. One is described as being of Arabian appearance, between 5ft 8in and 5ft 10in tall, with a slim build and short dark hair. He was reportedly wearing a black tracksuit with the hood up.
The second suspect is also described as being of Arabian appearance, approximately 5ft 7in tall, with a slim build, short hair, and a brown moustache. He was seen wearing an olive top beneath a blue zipped puffer jacket, along with black trousers. No age estimates have been provided for either individual.
Investigating officer Detective Constable Freya Renton, of the Berkshire West Priority Crime Team, said:
“I am appealing for the witness seen in CCTV to please come forward to support our investigation into this attempted robbery.
“Any other witnesses we are not aware of should also get in touch. While I appreciate this happened more than two weeks ago, I hope any witnesses would remember what happened.
“We will not tolerate robberies or knife crime generally as it puts people at serious risk so we are committed to bringing the offenders to justice.”
Police continue to investigate the incident and are asking anyone with information to get in touch.