A 60-year-old man was stabbed, assaulted and robbed by an unidentified suspect on Table Mountain yesterday, with the attack happening at around 7:45AM on a popular cycling track.

The details of the attack were posted on Facebook by Table Mountain Bikers, who managed to obtain an image of the thief leaving on the stolen bike, which you can see above.

The attack took place on a track above Rugby Road, with this below from TimesLIVE:

“The suspect stole the black Canyon brand full-suspension mountain bike. [He] was wearing an orange backpack and was spotted heading down Molteno Road into the CBD. He will most likely try to sell the bicycle in the city centre,” said the post.

It said the attacker not only stole a Canyon bike but also “violated the safety of a space many of us enjoy on foot, running or cycling”.

The man has been named as Bernard Berman, who was rushed to hospital following the attack.

This image shows the exact location where the crime took place:

Whilst this is not considered one of Table Mountain’s crime “high-risk areas”, those choosing to ride in the area should still exercise caution.

IOL spoke with police spokesperson Noloyiso Rwexana:

…a case of robbery was being investigated by Cape Town central police.

“Police are investigating a robbery case following an incident that occurred this morning where a 60-year-old man was stabbed, assaulted and robbed by an unidentified suspect on Table Mountain.

“The suspect fled the scene with the victim’s mountain bicycle. The victim was transported to a medical facility for treatment,” Rwexana said.

The Table Mountain Bikers group spokesperson, Melanie Vogel, released this statement via their Facebook page:

Again, the anger is palpable:

Vogel said residents in the area were placed on alert immediately after the incident and the suspect was then spotted riding the bicycle via CCTV camera near a convenience store in Kloof Road.

“We feel absolutely violated because this incident happened right in our backyards. We are aware of incidents that occurred in the South Peninsula and Tokai but this hit so much closer to home. We have had bag grabs before but never such a violent attack,” Vogel said.

It’s reported that other stolen bikes have been flogged in Greenmarket Square, so keep an eye out for a black Canyon brand full-suspension mountain bike.

Here’s hoping we don’t have to write about another one of these attacks any time soon.

[sources:timeslive&iol&facebook]