Developing story: this is a new development in an ongoing investigation. Details are emerging and this article will be updated.
The 24-year-old cyclist killed in a hit-and-run on North Pole Road was reportedly chased by a moped moments before the fatal crash, police have said.
Kariem, the 24-year-old North Pole Road cyclist, was found seriously injured in North Kensington on 24 September and was pronounced dead at the scene.
The Metropolitan Police says CCTV enquiries indicate the moped had been pursuing his e-bike prior to the collision — a claim investigators are now treating as a significant line of enquiry.
A murder investigation was launched on 26 September, two days after the crash.
The launch of a murder investigation — rather than a standard road traffic inquiry — reflects the seriousness with which detectives are treating the alleged pursuit in the moments before the collision.
Detective Chief Inspector Neil John, who is leading the investigation, said officers were working hard to get answers and establish exactly what happened. He said the team were pursuing a number of lines of enquiry, including efforts to identify and trace the rider of the moped.
Police are urging anyone who was in the area at the time and may have seen the e-bike or the moped — either during the crash or in the moments leading up to it — to come forward.
Detectives are keen to hear from anyone who may have captured the e-bike or the moped on dashcam, doorbell or CCTV footage in the North Kensington area that evening.
North Pole Road, which runs between North Kensington and Wormwood Scrubs, was closed for a significant period while forensic officers examined the scene.
Flowers have been laid near the scene, with a picture of Kariem attached to a lamppost close to where he died. Tributes left at the spot describe him as a much-loved son and friend, with mourners leaving flowers, candles and handwritten notes.
Anyone with information is asked to call police on 101, quoting reference 414/25SEP26, or to contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
Read our earlier report on the North Pole Road hit-and-run here.
The development comes amid a busy weekend for detectives across the capital. Police are also appealing for witnesses after a fatal crash in Enfield in which a 48-year-old man died and another man was left in a critical condition.
Officers also responded on Saturday evening after an air ambulance was scrambled to Herbert Road in Woolwich, where a man in his 20s was found with injuries.
