Send this page to someone via email The food-delivery firm Deliveroo thanked Benedict Cumberbatch on Saturday after a newspaper reported that the Sherlock star had fought off muggers who were attacking one of its cyclists. READ MORE: Benedict Cumberbatch is now a Commander of the British Empire Uber driver Manuel Dias told the Sun newspaper that he was driving Cumberbatch and his wife Sophie Hunter along London’s Marylebone High Street when they saw a cyclist being hit with a bottle. He said Cumberbatch jumped out of the car and grabbed one of the attackers. “I had hold of one lad and Benedict another,” Dias was quoted as saying. “He seemed to know exactly what he was doing. He was very brave.” “Here was Sherlock Holmes fighting off four attackers just round the corner from Baker Street,” he added. Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "Here was Sherlock Holmes fighting off four attackers just round the corner from Baker Street," he added. Story continues below advertisement The fictional detective’s home address in London is around the corner from the scene of the attack. 1:12 Benedict Cumberbatch shows up at comic store dressed as Doctor Strange Cumberbatch’s spokeswoman declined to comment. The newspaper didn’t say when the incident occurred. Police said a delivery cyclist was assaulted in the street in November. On Saturday, Deliveroo praised Cumberbatch “for his heroic actions.” “On behalf of everyone at Deliveroo: Thank you so much,” it said. Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "On behalf of everyone at Deliveroo: Thank you so much," it said.<doc-sep>British actor Benedict Cumberbatch saved a delivery cyclist from a robbery in London, fighting off four muggers who were trying to steal the rider’s bike. Cumberbatch, known for playing Sherlock Holmes on the BBC series Sherlock, was riding in an Uber with his wife, Sophie Hunter, when he came across the attack. The muggers were punching a cyclist riding for Deliveroo, an app-based delivery service like Postmates or Caviar. Reportedly, one assailant smashed a glass bottle over the rider’s head. That’s when the six-foot, 41-year-old actor told his driver to stop, got out of the car, and intervened, yelling at the muggers and trying to drag them off their victim. The gang then turned on him, but he managed to fend them off, according to witnesses. Cumberbatch’s driver, 53-year-old Manuel Dias, told The Sun that he initially didn’t recognize his famous passenger—which made it all the more surreal when he found himself fighting alongside a man who plays one of the UK’s most popular heroes on television. (As noted in the British press, the incident took place near Baker Street, Holmes’ residence in the books and TV show.) The victim was riding for Deliveroo, an app-based delivery service, at the time of the attack. Jack Taylor Getty Images “I went to turn down into Marylebone High Street and we saw four guys were pushing around a Deliveroo cyclist,” he said. “My passenger jumped out, ran over, and pulled the men away. They turned toward him and things looked like they were getting worse, so I joined in. He stood there instructing them in the street, shouting, ‘Leave him alone.’ It was only then that I recognized Benedict.” Dias continued: “I had hold of one lad and Benedict another. He seemed to know exactly what he was doing. He was very brave. He did most of it, to be honest. They tried to hit him, but he defended himself and pushed them away. He wasn’t injured. Then I think they also recognized it was Benedict and ran away.” After the attackers took off, the cyclist told Cumberbatch he was OK and the two shared a hug. Deliveroo issued a statement on Saturday thanking the actor for intervening: This content is imported from Twitter. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. Thank you Benedict Cumberbatch for your brave actions. Deliveroo riders are heroes - their safety is our priority and any violence against them is totally unacceptable. So on behalf of everyone at deliveroo: thank you. pic.twitter.com/NGCkQB3z7J — deliveroo (@Deliveroo) June 2, 2018 Cumberbatch, meanwhile, downplayed his role, according to The Sun: “I did it out of, well, I had to, you know...” It’s unclear exactly when the incident took place. NPR alluded to a report by London’s Metropolitan Police Service last November that detailed an attack on a cyclist and attempted bike theft. Nothing was successfully stolen and the victim did not require hospital treatment, the report said. No arrests were made, either. Matt Bevilacqua News Editor, Bicycling Matt is a reporter, writer, and editor who has covered bicycling since 2014, when he cofounded a small bike magazine called SPOKE in Philadelphia. This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io<doc-sep>Benedict Cumberbatch has been hailed as a “hero” after saving a Deliveroo driver from a gang of four muggers. The actor was in an Uber with wife, Sophie Hunter, near London’s Baker Street – the fictional home of the character Sherlock Holmes, who Cumberbatch has famously portrayed on screen – when he stopped the car and leapt to the rescue. Witnesses say the 41-year-old began by shouting “leave him alone” at the attackers before getting involved, dragging the four potential muggers off the victim. They reportedly tried to punch Cumberbatch, who defended himself, the attackers then fleeing once they realised who was stopping them, having stolen nothing. Asked about the attack by The Sun, the actor responded: “I did it out of, well, I had to, you know...” The many faces of Benedict Cumberbatch Show all 12 1 /12 The many faces of Benedict Cumberbatch The many faces of Benedict Cumberbatch The many faces of Benedict Cumberbatch The role that catapulted him to global fame: As a modern-day Sherlock Holmes in BBC drama Sherlock BBC The many faces of Benedict Cumberbatch The many faces of Benedict Cumberbatch Benedict Cumberbatch stars alongside Keira Knightley in Alan Turing biopic The Imitation Game StudioCanal The many faces of Benedict Cumberbatch The many faces of Benedict Cumberbatch Cumberbatch bore an uncanny resemblance to Wikileaks founder Julian Assange in The Fifth Estate (2013) Frank Connor/DreamWorks The many faces of Benedict Cumberbatch The many faces of Benedict Cumberbatch As Stephen Hawking in the 2004 BBC television film following the physicist's early years at Cambridge University YouTube/BBC The many faces of Benedict Cumberbatch The many faces of Benedict Cumberbatch Benedict Cumberbatch dresses ominously as Richard III for The Hollow Crown: War of the Roses sherlock-series.livejournal.com The many faces of Benedict Cumberbatch The many faces of Benedict Cumberbatch Jonny Lee Miller as the Creature and Cumberbatch as Dr Frankenstein at the National Theatre in 2011 Rex The many faces of Benedict Cumberbatch The many faces of Benedict Cumberbatch Cumberbatch took on the role of tortured artist Vincent van Gogh in Alan Yentob's 2011 BBC drama-documentary Van Gogh: Painted With Words YouTube/BBC The many faces of Benedict Cumberbatch The many faces of Benedict Cumberbatch Benedict Cumberbatch as the idealistic Christopher Tietjens in 2012's Parade's End Rex The many faces of Benedict Cumberbatch The many faces of Benedict Cumberbatch Looking sharp as John Harrison in Star Trek Into Darkness (2013) Zade Rosenthal The many faces of Benedict Cumberbatch The many faces of Benedict Cumberbatch With Adelaide Clemens in BBC Edwardian period drama Parade's End Nick Briggs/BBC The many faces of Benedict Cumberbatch The many faces of Benedict Cumberbatch Alongside Chiwetel Ejiofor in Steve McQueen's 12 Years A Slave, which won Best Film at the 2014 Oscars AP The many faces of Benedict Cumberbatch The many faces of Benedict Cumberbatch As confectionery millionaire and rapist Paul Marshall in Atonement (2007); Sherlock creator Steven Moffat said he wanted Cumberbatch for the detective series after watching the film YouTube/Universal Pictures Cumberbatch’s actions are said to have stopped serious injuries to the cyclist, who had been hit over the head with a wine bottle. “Benedict was courageous, brave and selfless,” the driver, Manuel Dias, who also helped fend off the attackers, said. “Here was Sherlock Holmes fighting off four attackers just round the corner from Baker Street.” He continued: “They tried to hit him but he defended himself and pushed them away. He wasn’t injured. Then I think they also re­cognised it was Be­ne­dict and ran away. “He asked the rider how he was and when he said, ‘I’m OK’ Benedict just hugged him.” The police have since confirmed they were called to the scene at Marylebone High Street, just half a mile from Baker Street, in November. Details of the attack were, however, only published last night.<doc-sep>
Benedict Cumberbatch has foiled plenty of crimes on his hit BBC series “Sherlock” and the Oscar-nominated actor proved to be just as heroic in real life when he intervened in a mugging and sent the perps scrambling. As The Sun reports, the 41-year-old “Doctor Strange” star was a passenger in an Uber when he witnessed four men assaulting an unarmed delivery cyclist in London, battering him with bottles and fists. According to witnesses, Cumberbatch jumped out of the Uber — in which he was riding with wife Sophie Hunter — and ran toward the fracas, yelling, “Leave him alone!” RELATED: Benedict Cumberbatch On Pay Equality: ‘If She’s Not Paid The Same As The Men, I’m Not Doing It’ The fast-thinking actor dragged the attackers off the bloodied cyclist; when the men shifted their attacks toward the actor, he was able to fend them off before they fled. “The cyclist was lucky, Benedict’s a superhero,” Uber driver Ma­n­uel Dias told The Sun. “I was taking Benedict and his wife to a club — but I didn’t know it was him at first,” Dias added. “I went to turn down into Marylebone High Street and we saw four guys were pushing around a Deliveroo cyclist. My passenger jumped out, ran over and pulled the men away. They turned towards him and things looked like [they were] getting worse, so I joined in.” RELATED: Benedict Cumberbatch Left Terrified After ‘Ellen’ Prank, Reveals How He Got His Hands On Top Secret ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ Script Added Dias: “He stood there instructing them in the street, shouting, ‘Leave him alone.’” In a bizarre coincidence, the incident occurred near Baker Street, the same street that has been home to Sherlock Holmes since the character was first introduced in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s iconic novels. “It was only then I recognized Benedict. Then it all got a bit surreal. Here was Sherlock Holmes fighting off four attackers just round the corner from Baker Street,” said Dias. RELATED: Benedict Cumberbatch Says ‘Patrick Melrose’ Is The Most Difficult Role Of His Career “I had hold of one lad and Benedict another. He seemed to know exactly what he was doing. He was very brave. He did most of it, to be honest,” Dias explained. “They tried to hit him but he defended himself and pushed them away. He wasn’t injured. Then I think they also re­cognized it was Be­ne­dict and ran away.” Dias described Cumberbatch as “courageous, brave and selfless. If he hadn’t stepped in the cyclist could have been seriously injured. He asked the rider how he was and when he said, ‘I’m OK,’ Benedict just hugged him.” Cumberbatch, however, downplayed the incident, only saying, “I did it out of, well, I had to, you know . . .”