Nine people, including two children and three police officers, have been injured after a suspected acid attack in London.
A woman and her two young children were the suspected victims of the attack, as a man is believed to have thrown a corrosive substance over them on a road near Clapham Common.
A witness reported that the mother screamed “my eyes” and “police” after she was attacked with the substance.
The witness told The Sun that the mother, along with her children, had been in a car with a man. The pair got out of the vehicle and began fighting on the street.
The man then allegedly returned to the car and attempted to run the woman over.
The witness said: “There was a little baby girl banging on the door on the dad’s side, the lady was crying, screaming “my eyes, police”.
“He opened the door, took out the baby and banged her against the ground twice”.
Another witness told the BBC that the mother cried “I can’t see, I can’t see” as he tried to help her. “It was quite horrific,” he added.
Police were called to the scene on Lessar Avenue at around 7.25pm on Wednesday alongside an ambulance service hazardous response team, and the woman and her children were taken to hospital.
Three other adults were also taken to hospital with injuries thought to have been suffered as they came to the aid of the woman and her children.
Firefighters later said they had used specialist equipment to detect the substance used in the attack.
The Metropolitan Police said three officers who responded to the incident were also injured.
Of those injured, five were taken to a major trauma centre, and three to a local hospital, the ambulance service said, while one person was discharged at the scene.
A couple who live on the road told the BBC that they ran into the street after hearing a cry for help and the sound of a collision.
“We came outside and saw this guy and he took a girl out of the car and he slammed her to the ground twice,” a witness said.
“I chased him half way down the road, but I was in slippers so didn’t get very far.
“As I came back, that’s when I saw the woman who had been attacked with whatever substance it was so I ran inside to get some water and just sprayed her down with water.
Detective Superintendent Alexander Castle said on Wednesday night: “Officers are on scene following this horrific incident.
“While tests are ongoing to determine what the substance is, at this stage we believe it to be a corrosive substance,” he said.
“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.”
No arrest has been made and police said they will give an update on the conditions of the injured people as soon as they can.
A police helicopter has been deployed to assist with the manhunt and a nearby hotel, the Clapham South Belvedere, has also cordoned off.
Marina Ahmad, Labour’s London Assembly member for Lambeth & Southwark, posted on X: “There has been a traffic collision with a man assaulting occupants in a car and throwing acid. Victims include children.”
The London Ambulance service said it sent members of the hazardous area response team to the scene.
“We were called today (31 January) at 7.29pm to reports of an incident on Clapham Common South Side, SW4,” a spokesperson said.
“We sent a number of resources to the scene, including two incident response officers, three ambulance crews, and members of our hazardous area response team.
“We treated nine people, five of whom were taken to a major trauma centre. Three patients were taken to a local hospital and the other was discharged at the scene.”
She added: “I’ll share more updates when I receive them.
“In the meantime, please avoid the area if possible whilst our emergency services carry out their work.”