Police have named the man suspected of throwing a corrosive substance over a woman during a "horrific" attack in Clapham, leaving her and her two young girls in hospital with potentially life-changing injuries.
Superintendent Gabriel Cameron named the suspect as Abdul Ezedi as he spoke to reporters at the scene of Wednesday night's attack in a street off Clapham Common.
The suspect, a 35-year-old man from Newcastle, was last seen in the Caledonian Road area of north London, the officer said during a press conference on Thursday afternoon.
Superintendent Cameron said Ezedi had suffered a "significant injury" to the right side of his face. He said anyone who spotted the suspect should not approach him and call 999.
The manhunt was launched after the mother and her two daughters, aged three and eight, were injured in a “targeted” attack which saw 11 people taken to hospital.
The “dangerous” suspect, who is believed to be known to the mother, fled after the incident in Lessar Avenue, near Clapham Common, south London, at about 7.25pm on Wednesday night.
Police said the man attempted to make off in a car but collided with a stationary vehicle and fled on foot in the direction of Clapham Common.
Hero passers-by rushed to help the 31-year-old mother who was shouting “My eyes! My eyes! Help me! I can’t see!”.
They said they saw her lips turn black and skin strip off her face.
Superintendent Cameron said the woman and the three-year-old were in "stable" condition, although they may have suffered “life-changing” injuries.
Forensics teams at the scene could be seen inspecting a coffee cup which may have been used to throw the substance.
Distressing footage from the scene shows the man throwing one of the girls - both dressed in school uniform - to the ground “like a ragdoll” before hurling what police called an “alkaline substance” at all three females.
Shannon Christi, 35, described how the suspect manhandled the younger girl from a white car before spraying the woman in the face.
Ms Christi told the Standard: “I heard a bang of a car accident, then a scream.
“A man threw a child to the floor twice. I ran over and grabbed the girl. She was crying. The mother had been sprayed with something and her eyes were red and she was saying ‘I can’t see’. There were two other children.”
She added: “My partner came out. He was in his slippers and chased the man, but he got away. I think the woman and the man were known to each other.”
The Metropolitan Police said the 31-year-old woman and her three-year-old daughter, alongside her other daughter, aged eight, remain in hospital.
Five police officers and three “brave” women - two in their 30s and one in her 50s – were also taken to hospital suffering minor burns injuries but were discharged after treatment.
Ms Christi, one of those treated for burns, added: “I think the girl had some of the substance on her coat. My lips and arm were burning. I had to go to hospital but am okay. I hope the woman is too, she looked like she could have been badly hurt.”
An NHS worker saw the younger child “thrown to the ground like a ragdoll”.
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She said: “It was horrendous. I heard people screaming. I saw a car I thought had been in an accident. I saw him come out of driver’s side and take a child from the back of the car.
“He extended his arms and threw her like a rag doll. He threw her to the ground. Then he did it again. I thought she was dead. She didn’t make any noise.
“I heard the second child say, ‘I want my mum, I want my mum’. I was so relieved she was alive.
“I saw a silver canister that may have been what the corrosive substance was in.”
Megan Shannon heard the woman shouting “help me, help me” and went out to see locals crouched down next to baby clothes discarded on the ground.
The marketing assistant, 24, said: “They were desperate cries.
“It was horrible. I’ve only just moved from Cornwall for a new job. I’m terrified.”
Mohamed Ilyas, 18, said: “The guy tried to run the woman over. He was composed during the whole thing, like it was something he did all the time.”
A porter at the nearby Belvedere Hotel said the woman was taken there for shelter.
He said: “She was brought here and staff tried to help. Then the paramedics came. We did our best for her.”
Metropolitan Police Superintendent Gabriel Cameron confirmed no arrest had been made but a manhunt is under way.
He added there was “considerable public concern” following the incident but thanked members of the public and Lambeth officers who “deserve enormous recognition and praise for coming to the aid of this woman and children in what must have been a terrifying scenario”.
He said: “We believe the man and woman are known to each other. Our investigation is in its early stages and we are working to establish why this awful incident has happened.
“Officers from across the Met are working with partner agencies and forces to locate and arrest the man.
“While this appears a targeted attack, he is a dangerous individual and we urgently need to find him. We will release more information about him as soon as we can.”
Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley described the attack as "ghastly" on Thursday morning.
“It’s frightening. Fortunately attacks using acid and chemicals are exceedingly rare, we did have a spate of them two or three years ago but it’s not something we’ve seen much of at all recently.
“This is a ghastly attack. We have a live manhunt, the suspected offender we believe was known to the victims and so we have a big team of officers, the local officers who dealt with it assisted by specialist crime colleagues, and we’re hunting for him as we speak.
"The second thing to call out is the victim, the woman and her two young daughters. That’s a horrific thing to happen.
"They’re still in hospital, I think some of the burns are potentially quite substantial but I don’t know that for certain, so we wish them well.
"Thirdly to call out the bravery of members of the public and my officers.
"Four members of the public got involved, three women and a men, three of them have had hospital treatment and been discharged, and four or five officers got involved and had to go to hospital and get checked out for their contact with the chemicals.
"So difficult, difficult moments, but London, the police and the communities have come together to try and rescue the situation.”
Mayor Sadiq Khan said: "Last night’s incident in Clapham is truly shocking. My thoughts are with all those who have been injured, especially the woman and two children who remain in hospital."Streatham MP Bell Ribeiro-Addy said: “It seems the individuals were known to each other. This is a horrible and specific attack. There is not believed to be anyone going around carrying out random attacks. It was a feud. These are targeted attacks.”
She hailed a man who chased the suspect in his slippers as an “an absolute hero.”
Anyone who saw what happened can call police on 101, quoting reference CAD 7790/31Jan, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
