Police inspect the scene of an incident near Clapham Common, south London, after a suspected corrosive substance was thrown at a woman and her two young children Wednesday Jan. 31, 2024. British police said Wednesday they are hunting for a suspect after several people were injured with a corrosive substance in London.(James Weech/PA via AP)
LONDON — British police said Wednesday they are hunting for a suspect after several people were injured with a corrosive substance in London.
The Metropolitan Police force said nine people were hurt after a man threw the substance at a woman and two children in the Clapham area.
Detective Superintendent Alexander Castle called it a “horrific incident.”
Police said nine people had been taken to hospitals: the woman and two children; three adults who came to their assistance; and three police officers. Castle said the officers’ injuries were believed to be minor. There was no immediate word on the condition of the others.
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Castle said tests were underway to determine what had caused the injuries but “at this stage we believe it to be a corrosive substance.”
He said police were searching for a man who was seen fleeing the scene.