Met Police release video of moped riders escaping after attacking man with liquid near Harrods
Police believe liquid was thrown as part of attempted robbery after string of similar attacks
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Police have released footage of the moment moped riders attacked a man with an unknown liquid in one of the wealthiest areas of London.
The Metropolitan Police is looking for information on the two attackers, who fled the scene near Knightsbridge’s famous Harrods department store on Monday.
A spokesperson said the victim was attacked as he walked down Walton Place at around 8.30pm in what is believed to be an attempted robbery.
Shouting can be heard in the footage, taken from a cyclist’s helmet-mounted camera, before the rider turns round in time to record the moped fleeing the scene.
A woman can be seen running down the road as traffic comes to a standstill at a nearby junction, where the victim is standing in the road.
A taxi and passers-by gather to help him, pouring water over his face to wash off the liquid used in the attack.
“It is not known if the liquid thrown was a corrosive substance,” a spokesperson added. “Enquiries continue to ascertain what the substance is.”
The 47-year-old man was treated by paramedics at the scene before being taken to hospital, where he was treated for minor injuries and discharged.
Police said the attack happened at the junction between Walton Street and Pont Street, with the moped riders in dark clothing and helmets riding away in the direction of Draycott Avenue, SW3.
No arrests have been made and police are appealing for anyone with information or footage to contact police via 101, via Twitter @MetCC or anonymously by calling Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
The incident follows calls for the Government to licence acids and impose harsher sentences on offenders in the wake of a recent spike in the number of corrosive substance attacks.
More than 400 such assaults were carried out in the six months up to April 2017, according to figures from 39 forces in England and Wales, while five attacks were launched in 90 minutes in London last month.
Announcing a new strategy to combat acid attacks, the Home Secretary outlined a review of the Poisons Act 1972, police guidance, existing laws, the access to harmful products and support offered to victims.