NEW YORK – A swarm of bikers surrounded a man in Harlem and beat him so badly he died in hospital two weeks later, police said Wednesday.
The assault occurred around 10 p.m. on Nov. 4, New York City police said in a news release. Arthur Cooke, 45, was driving east on 125th Street when his car was surrounded by about 30 ATVs and dirt bikes, police said.
One of the passengers hit the passenger-side mirror of Cooke’s car, and when Cooke got out to inspect the damage, ATV and motocross drivers ganged up on him, police said. One of the attackers also pointed a gun at Cooke, they said.
The attackers fled and another man who was not part of the group remained in Cooke’s car, police said. Cooke was taken to Harlem Hospital, where he died on November 18. The police made no arrests.
Cooke was a special court advocate for Exodus Transitional Community, an organization that helps people who have been incarcerated, according to LinkedIn.
A colleague, Noel Diaz, said in a GoFundMe post seeking help for Cooke’s family that Cooke was “on a date with his partner” when he was attacked.
“He’s a man full of laughter and full of hope,” Diaz said in the post, which was written before Cooke’s death.
ATVs and motorized dirt bikes are illegal in New York City, but the city has had trouble enforcing the ban. Mayor Eric Adams had dozens of vehicles bulldozed at a press conference earlier this year.
