A woman has been hurt in an alleged acid attack in London today after she was reportedly doused in a corrosive substance on a bus.
The victim, who is in her 20s but has not been named, was seen being hosed down by firefighters 200 yards from Brixton train station in front of horrified witnesses.
Police are hunting for a man who is believed to have carried out the ‘targeted’ attack and fled. Witnesses claimed that the ‘acid fight’ broke out at 1.45pm today.
The woman was said to have been forced to sit on the pavement as the fire brigade hosed her down. She was taken to hospital but her injuries are not ‘life-changing’.
Police are hunting for a man accused of soaking a woman in acid on a bus in Brixton today
The victim was seen being hosed down by firefighters after the incident in Brixton today
The acid attack means London’s violent Bank Holiday weekend has now entered a fourth day after five shootings and several stabbings in the capital since Saturday.
At least three buses have been stopped in Brixton and surrounded by emergency vehicles. There was also a large police cordon.
A shopowner told HuffPost UK: ‘A woman ran off the bus screaming ‘acid attack’ and ran into the shop. She grabbed a bottle of water out of the fridge and poured it on her face.’
Police said that the suspected attacker was a man, and that the assault, which was being treated as GBH, was targeted, not random.
Becky Reid tweeted: ‘Feel physically sick after walking past a poor innocent person getting hosed down by firefighters after being caught in the middle of an acid fight in Brixton. So scary that this can happen on our doorstep. Hope they are okay’.
Rachael Hooper wrote: ‘What is happening at Brixton station? Some girl sitting and getting full on hosed by firemen’.
Scotland Yard says a male suspect is outstanding and the attack is being treated as grievous bodily harm.
Police are guarding bags believed to contain the clothes and other items from the victim
The Metropolitan Police and the London Ambulance Service were called to the acid attack
A spokesman said: ‘Police were called to Brixton Road at 1.45pm by London Ambulance Service following reports of a woman being the victim of a suspected noxious substance attack whilst on a bus.
‘The woman believed to be aged in her twenties was treated at the scene as she got off the bus. She was then taken to central London hospital for treatment.
‘Her condition is not life changing or life threatening. She has no major burns. Enquiries continue to trace the single male suspect involved. This incident appears to be targeted and not a random attack.
‘The bus – which is believed to be the scene of the attack – continues to be examined. At this stage, this attack is being treated as GBH’.
It comes after a bank holiday weekend of violence saw a 13-year-old boy shot in the back of the head as he walked to a wedding.
The teenager was hit by stray shotgun pellets when a moped-riding gunman tried to blast a gangland rival peddling drugs.
Police have sealed off a large area of Brixton’s high street as the hunt for the attacker goes on
At least three buses have been stopped in Brixton and are surrounded by emergency vehicles
Shocked witnesses said they felt sick after seeing the attack in South London this afternoon
He was one of the victims in a wave of bloodshed over the three-day holiday.
In London, commanders deployed scores of extra police officers, including armed units, after the capital was rocked by shootings and stabbings, as well as an acid attack in Dalston.
Rhyhiem Ainsworth Barton, 17, was shot dead near his South London home on Saturday
As murder squad detectives continued to hunt for the killer of Rhyhiem Ainsworth Barton, 17, who was shot near his South London home on Saturday, there was a further attack elsewhere in the capital, as well as killings in Liverpool, Luton and Macclesfield.
Officers were also hunting a knifeman who killed a 20-year-old takeaway worker in Luton on Sunday afternoon. One resident said he believed it had been gang-related, possibly in reprisal for a shooting last week.
In Macclesfield, a 37-year-old man was stabbed to death on Sunday. A 15-year-old boy and a 29-year-old man were arrested.
And in Clayton, East Manchester, a man was taken to hospital after being shot at 2.45pm yesterday. His condition was not known last night.
Home Secretary Sajid Javid said he was determined to tackle the spate of violence that was ‘robbing too many young people of their futures’.
But London Mayor Sadiq Khan claimed ministers were failing and said he was doing all he could.
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Anyone with information is requested to call police on 101 quoting CAD 4258/8May or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. You can also tweet police via @MetCC.