Police launch manhunt after suspected acid attack injures mother and children

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Nine people have been injured after a suspected acid attack in Clapham, South London.

Based on information from the Met Police, officials responded at the scene of Lessar Avenue SW4 in Lambeth around 7.25pm in the evening. A total of nine individuals, including a woman, her two children and three officers were injured as a result of the incident.

Officials are currently working to locate the suspect and have deployed a helicopter to help in the search.

It’s believed that three passersby had tried to come to the aid of the woman and her children, before suffering injuries themselves. The injuries of the responding officers are thought to be minor, Detective Superintendent Alexander Castle said in a news release.

All of the injured individuals were treated on scene, with five being transported to a major trauma centre. Three were taken to a local hospital for treatment and one other person was discharged at the scene.

Mr Castle said officials will release more information about the victims’ conditions once details become available.

“While tests are ongoing to determine what the substance is, at this stage we believe it to be a corrosive substance,” Mr Castle said.

Marina Ahmad, a London assembly member, said the suspected acid attack stemmed from a traffic collision, adding that a man was “assaulting occupants in a car and throwing acid,” she wrote on X.

In a written statement, the London Ambulance Service said it was called to the scene around 7.29pm and deployed a number of resources, including two incident response officers, three ambulance crews and members of its hazardous area response team.

Mr Castle said officials are using all their resources to make an arrest in the incident.

“A man was seen fleeing the scene. We are drawing on resources from across the Met to apprehend this individual and work is ongoing to determine what has led to this awful incident,” he said.

Based on a witness account, the suspect got a child out of the car and violently slammed them onto the floor, Sky News reported. Shortly afterward, a woman who was arguing with the suspect began screaming “My eyes. My eyes. Call the police. My eyes.”

The witness, a man, told the outlet that he then ran into his home, got some bottoms of water and sprinkled them on the woman’s face. At some point, he said he also attempted to chase the assailant down the road.

He and his partner then went to hospital as the children because she thought some of the substance had also been thrown on her face.

Any members of the public who have information regarding the incident are encouraged to call 999.

This is a developing story…