Do you recognise this man?
A black man in his 30s was punched and kicked to the floor before being slashed in the face with a knife.
The incident happened in Bragg Close, near to the Roundhouse pub, on Sunday, 21 July 2019 – a year ago today.
The victim had been to collect food from a nearby takeaway and, as he returned to his vehicle and began driving away with his windows down, he noticed a dark car with two young white men inside.
The pair shouted racist abuse and the victim confronted them but approximately 20 more white males turned up and surrounded the victim.
They started to kick and punch him while he laid defenceless on the floor. One man slashed the victim in the face, with what is believed to have been a knife.
Bragg Close, where the incident happened (credit: Google Maps)
The victim managed to get up and run away, eventually alerting police by dialling 999.
The group then set about damaging the victim’s car. One of the men got into the driver’s seat and drove into the shutters of a nearby premises, causing further damage. A laptop and tablet were also reported stolen from inside the vehicle.
Police say the group in question were believed to have been drinking in The Roundhouse prior to the incident.
No arrests have been made in the 12 months since the attack.
In a statement, the Metropolitan Police said: “One year on from the attack, after exhausting all other lines of enquiry, detectives have issued an image of a man they would like to speak to in relation to this racial assault.
“He is described a white male, between 20 to 30 years old, of chubby build and approximately 5ft6ins to 5ft7ins in height.”
Detective Constable Adelaide Halliday, the investigating officer from the East Area’s CID, said: “This was a violent, unprovoked, racially motivated attack on the victim, which has not only left him with a physical scar but emotional ones too.
Do you recognise this man?
“I would appeal for anyone who can identify or knows the man in the image to contact police as soon as possible. I would also ask for anyone that may have been drinking in the nearby Roundhouse pub that evening, Sunday, 21 July 2019, who are aware of this incident to contact police. If you would prefer not to speak to the police, you can also contact Crimestoppers anonymously.”
Anyone with information about the man in the image or about the incident itself is asked to contact police on 101 quoting CAD 8064/21JUL2019. They can also contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online at crimestoppers-uk.org. They do not ask your name and cannot trace your call or I.P address.
Tags: Dagenham, Barking and Dagenham
