A 14-year-old boy has died after being stabbed by men who crashed into him with a car in northeast London, police have said.

Officers are treating the incident as a targeted attack and have urged anyone with information to come forward.

They found the victim with fatal injuries after being called to a road traffic collision in Bickley Road, Leyton, Waltham Forest, shortly before 6.30pm on Tuesday.

Police said a car crashed into the teenager's moped, then three males got out of the car and stabbed the victim before getting back in the vehicle and driving off.

The force is looking for a black Mercedes B Class car with "extensive front damage".


"Everything that we have learned about this attack so far indicates it was targeted and intent on lethal force from the outset," Detective Chief Inspector Larry Smith said.

"We are doing everything we can to catch those who carried out this cowardly attack and bring them to justice."

Image: The teenager was declared dead shortly after 7pm

Paramedics arrived with the police and tried to save the boy but he was declared dead at 7.09pm. His next of kin have been informed.

People living on Bickley Road said they did not hear any shouting or screaming.

They said they only knew something had happened when they saw the emergency services' blue flashing lights.

Image: Flowers were left at the crash site

One man said a witness of the incident came to his workplace, recalling that the boy may have been unconscious when he was stabbed, with his helmet thrown up to 10 metres away.

"They said they knocked him off the moped and four people got out of the car and they stabbed him seven times - there were unsurvivable wounds in his back," he said.

Image: The boy's helmet was thrown several metres

Anthony Anderson, a mechanic who works near Bickley Road, said he would often give "fatherly advice" to the victim, who has been named locally.

He said the boy often dropped in to his garage to get his bike fixed, and described him as a "very nice guy" who had a mature attitude and seemed older than 14.

"He's somebody I really spoke to a lot, tried to get him off the street, tried to just get him to go to school," he said. "It really, really hit me when I heard last night."

No arrests have been made and a crime scene remains in place. Forensic officers in blue suits were seen combing the area for evidence.

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan urged anyone with information about the "horrific incident" to contact police.

"I'm greatly saddened by news of the fatal stabbing of a 14-year-old in Waltham Forest, and my thoughts are with his family and friends," he tweeted.

:: Anybody with information is asked to contact the police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.