Yahoo News Edgware Road incident not a machete attack say witnesses as they describe 'fight'
An apparent fight between two men on Edgware Road did not involve a machete, according to witnesses who described the incident. Viral footage of the encounter was reported as a 'shocking machete brawl' by multiple news websites, including The Daily Mail, Metro, and LBC, but MyLondon understands the weapon used was a pole, possibly made of metal.
An eyewitness told us the fight started after a disagreement between a man riding a Santander bicycle and a man driving a white BMW, just outside Lebanese restaurant Al Arez at around 7:15pm on Saturday (April 20). He claimed the cyclist was taunted by the driver, then threw punches at him through the window before the driver jumped out and grabbed a long white pole from his boot.
"He got a steel cane, or something," the witness recalled. "The guy on the bike punched him while he was in the car. So the guy in the car went out with the cane and started hitting the other guy. I think [the cane] bent. He hit him pretty hard." A separate witness also confirmed the weapon was not a machete, describing it as 'a stick'.
Video footage of the incident, shared by London & UK Streets New on X, shows the BMW revving and making sudden movements on the road, while the cyclist steps around looking primed for a punch up. Dozens of men could be seen jeering from the pavement as the cyclist rushed towards the car, apparently landing an audible thump as he leans through the window.
After grabbing the white metal cane from his boot, the video shows the driver land at least three blows on the cyclist, who dodges attacks while trying to land strikes with his fist. The video eventually ends before the outcome of the fight.
"People from the street tried to separate them. The guy on the Santander bike left and the guy in the car turned on his car and followed him. Then the guy on the Santander bike came back because he had lost his keys," the witness told us.
That same witness said the men had 'no major injuries', while another person who saw the fight said he did not think anyone was injured because both men were able to leave. The exact cause of the confrontation remains a mystery, as one witness said: "I do not know what caused the fight to begin with."
'A metal bat'
On Sunday afternoon (April 21), Scotland Yard confirmed it was aware of the social media footage and is looking for the men involved. A spokesperson for the force also described the weapon as 'a metal bat', not a machete.
"It was reported a car was driven towards a man, before an occupant of the car then got out of the vehicle and attempted to assault the man with a metal bat. The suspect vehicle and victim had left the scene before police arrived," a spokesperson told MyLondon.
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