A teenager has been arrested by police on suspicion of involvement in the spate of violent bicycle thefts that struck the Richmond Park area recently.

The Met Police announced on Tuesday evening (October 19) they had arrested a 16-year-old "on suspicion of robbery, attempted robbery, possession of an offensive weapon and allowing to be carried in a stolen vehicle".

He was subsequently charged by the Met with offences "related to a separate investigation", a police spokesperson said.

He remains under investigation for the offences relating to the robberies.

The arrest follows a number of violent bicycle thefts that happened in Richmond and Putney in recent weeks, some involving the thieves wielding a machete.

As the RTTimes reported, professional cyclist Alexander Richardson was attacked by machete-wielding thieves on motorbikes on October 7, who rammed him into the ground and stole his bicycle at knife-point.

"Please be careful in the area and note that this is becoming a common occurrence in parts of London," Richardson wrote in a social media post describing the attack.

Days later, a cyclist was reportedly assaulted by thieves carrying a machete who stole his bike in the area of Putney High Street around 5.09pm on Monday, October 13, prompting an armed police response.

The Met said that two other assaults on cyclists were also been reported in the area. On October 6, a day prior to Richardson's experience, officers responded to reports that a woman had her bike stolen after men riding e-scooters pushed her off it on Sawyers Hill.

Similarly a man in his 50s was reportedly pushed from his bike by men riding a moped near Roehampton Gate on Monday (October 11) at a similar time to the attack in Putney.

Police continue to appeal for information about the bicycle thefts. Anyone with information that could help the investigation is asked to call 101, tweet @MetCC quoting CAD 5103/07OCT, or call Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.