Nine people including two children were injured in a “horrific incident” in London on Wednesday evening, with several of those hurt having rushed to the aid of the original victims, police say.
An investigation is underway after a “suspected corrosive substance” was thrown just yards from Clapham Common, an upmarket London neighborhood in Lambeth, injuring several people. A woman and two children were taken to hospital for treatment, police said.
Three people who rushed to their aid were also hospitalised with injuries. In addition, three police officers responding to the scene were also injured by the “substance”.
A police statement notes a man was seen “fleeing the scene” of the “horrific incident” and is being sought in connection with the attack. No arrests have yet been made, per the Met.
London Assembly Member Marina Ahmad said, as noted by the BBC, that: “There has been a traffic collision with a man assaulting occupants in a car and throwing acid. Victims include children.”
The apparent acid attack is just the latest in London as the city weathers a surge in violent crime. As reported this week as police shot dead a man menacing residents with a crossbow:
The crossbow incident is one of many uses of weapons in London’s ongoing crime crisis, in a city where British law forbids firearms in almost all circumstances but criminals find a way nevertheless. As reported last month, 2023 saw knife crime surge, with over 40 incidents logged by police per day. Gun crime also rose six per cent over the previous year.
Per a paper by the Action on Armed Violence campaign group, there were an “estimated 103 homicides that occurred in Greater London in 2023, marked by a concerning trend in violent crimes”. Breaking down the killings, the report stated 67 people were stabbed to death and eight shot.
This story is developing and more follows.