A group of moped riders have come together following the death of a Brazilian national in Battersea.
Named locally as Iderval da Silva, the 46-year-old martial arts instructor was kicked and punched to the ground by a group of teens when he saw them stealing his bike on Saturday.
Three days later, he died in hospital.
After news broke that the Brazilian had been left in an induced coma, members from Stolen Motorcycle Recovery London (SMRL), a group set up to help recover stolen motorcycles and give them back to their owners free of charge, hoped to have a meeting to discuss what they could do.
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But just before this meeting was due to take place, Iderval passed away.
"We attended this meeting to show our support to the large Brazilian courier community and offer any assistance we could and offer our condolences to his friends," a spokesman for SMRL said.
"Unfortunately, shortly before the meeting was due to take place, we received news that unfortunately the individual in question had tragically passed away."
This only fueled their desire to do something.
"A number of riders decided that a ride of solidarity should take place and frankly, this was an expression of anger over the perceived inaction of the government," the spokesman added.
"Many of the couriers in London are frequently victimised and don't feel like their concerns are being addressed.
"Many have only third party courier insurance, meaning that if their vehicles get stolen, they will lose their only means of generating income for them and families."
"A large majority of the riders at the ride were Brazilian and not many knew him personally, but felt a connection due to their nationality, job and the feeling that we are all being victimised."
A 16-year-old boy was arrested on Saturday near where Iderval was attacked in Charlotte Despard Avenue on suspicion of GBH.
He was taken to a west London police station and has been bailed to a date in early June pending further enquiries.
The police investigation – now a murder inquiry - is being led by detectives from the Homicide and Major Crime Command.
Any witnesses or anyone with information is asked to contact the incident room on 020 8721 4054.
Alternatively, please call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
Young people can visit fearless.org where they can pass on information anonymously. Fearless is part of the Crimestoppers charity, and is also independent of the police.
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