THIS is the shocking moment a man launched an "acid attack" - leaving a toddler and mum with potentially life-changing injuries and hurting her other daughter.
A man is still at large after 12 people were injured in the horror attack in Clapham, south London at 7.25pm yesterday.
The 31-year-old woman and her daughters, aged 3 and 8, all remain in hospital after an alkaline substance was thrown at them.
Cops believe the attacker and the woman are known to each other.
Superintendent Gabriel Cameron said the man is a "dangerous individual" who appears to have launched a targeted attack.
He added: "While none of their conditions are life-threatening, the injuries to the woman and younger girl could be life-changing.
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"It may be some time before hospital staff are able to say how serious that might be."
Three women were also injured when they bravely rushed to help the family.
The women have now all been discharged from hospital with minor burns injuries.
A man in his 50s who also helped declined hospital treatment for minor injuries he suffered.
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Five cops who were injured in the line of duty have left hospital, Cameron added.
He said: "All these members of the public, and my officers, deserve enormous recognition and praise for coming to the aid of this woman and children.
"It must have been a terrifying scenario. We will provide them with all the support we can.
"I also want to commend nearby hotel staff after victims and officers sought refuge and water there following the incident."
The Belvedere Hotel confirmed that some of its guests were among the victims of the attack.
It's not clear which people caught up in last night's attack were guests of the hotel.
Chilling footage shows the suspect running around a car and leaping in - before appearing to drive into a person stood in front of it.
The clip then shows members of the public rushing to surround the car after it crashed into a parked motor.
Sky News, which obtained the footage, reports that it goes on to show the man pull a child out of the car and slam them onto the ground.
Snaps show a white substance splattered on the car's driver-seat window.
Mum-of-three Shannon Christie, who lives in a block of flats at the end of the road, stepped in to save the two girls after the thug “threw” one to the floor.
The bus driver, 35, said: “I heard the commotion and I ran outside.
“I saw a little girl being thrown to the floor.
“At that point I ran in and grabbed her off the floor.
“I heard her mum shouting ‘I can’t see, I can’t see’.
“So I called my partner to get some water.
“Staff at the hospital then came round and were dousing her with water.
“At that point my skin started to tingle.
“Me and the little girl went in to the block to wash our eyes and faces with water.
“I think what happened is she got it on her jacket when she fell on the floor and then it transferred to me.
“I went to Tooting hospital yesterday because my lips kept burning but they couldn’t identify what the substance was.
“The youngest girl was three years old.
“I tried to talk to her and ask what her name was but she just kept crying.
“The mum was walking along the street but she couldn’t see anything.
“Staff from the hotel came out to help as well.
“He ran straight off towards Balham. My partner chased him halfway down the street but he was wearing slippers.
“The attacker was wearing all black, but I couldn’t really focus on what he looked like because I was focusing on the little girl.
“I’ve never seen them before, I think it was a domestic incident.”
“There was another girl who was crying, she was about eight.
“I told her to come in with us.
“Then they took her round to the hotel.
“I can’t remember how long I was with the girls for because it went so quickly.
“I’ve never seen the mum or the children before.
“I’m a mother with three children, my youngest is two, so I feel like I had to get in and do something.
“I’d step in again to do that if I had to.”
A witness described how the child was “thrown to the ground like a ragdoll”.
She said: “It was horrendous I heard people screaming I saw a car I thought there had been accident.
“I saw him come out of drivers side and took out a child from the back of the car 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 went down I heard the baby 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.”
A local who saw the aftermath of the attack said he saw a pair of baby’s shoes lying on the floor next to an abandoned car.
He said: “I saw acid on the ground and two baby does on the floor.
"The car was in the middle of the road with the doors open.
“My mum and the neighbours heard a really bad scream. I just saw the baby shoes on the ground.”
Another resident said victims ran back into the hotel where they were treated on a sofa in reception.
A car was removed from the scene shortly after 4am.
He added: “I’ve heard her face is really damaged. Someone got picked up and thrown down.”
A resident on the street said: “We had helicopters circulating, dogs were out, they told us not to leave our houses.
“As I understand it it’s a domestic incident situation, which is very horrible.
“I have been told she was a resident at the hotel.
“Residents are worried this was a random chap throwing acid, there are parents with children on this street, they are very worried about it but they have no need to be.”
Another neighbour, Ian Hutchieson, said: “I came back and saw a full cordon in place.
The Canadian added: “Just an hour before I was at dinner reminiscing about how great it is to live in London.”
A witness, who asked not to be named, told how the mum and kids had been in a white car with a man before the pair got out and began fighting on the street.
The man then returned to the car “and tried to run the woman over”.
She said: “There was a little baby girl banging on the door on the man'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, I’m talking hard bang”.
It is unclear when the "corrosive substance" was used.
Another bystander rushed to help the mum.
He said: “The mum was on the ground, so obviously people came out and tried to comfort her and calm her down.
"But in terms of moving her, she was in some sort of pain so every time we moved her she was crying”.
It comes as...
- Three brave cops were also hurt in the attack
- A neighbour told how he chased the suspect down the street
- The attacker is still at large this morning
- Snaps show the aftermath of the chemical horror
Another witness told the : "It was the worst thing I've ever seen.
"She was screaming, 'My eyes! My eyes!' Her skin looked burnt."
An urgent hunt has been launched for a man who fled the scene moments after the attack.
A resident on the road told the : "I chased him half way down the road, but I was in slippers so didn't get very far."
A nearby hotel, the Clapham South Belvedere, has also been cordoned off.
A hotel spokesperson said: "At 7.25pm last night, police and ambulance services were called to attend on a serious incident in which guests at the Belvedere Hotel were a victim.
"Belvedere Hotel staff, having supported the work of the emergency services, have provided assistance to the guests affected and sought to reassure other hotel guests as to their safety and wellbeing.
"The staff team will continue to provide assistance to guests and the police going forward.
"As this is an ongoing police investigation, we are not able to provide any further comment.
"Our thoughts are with the family and friends of those affected."
Tonight an MP claimed the attack came after a car crash on Lessar Avenue.
Footage from the scene shows police cars and fire engines swarming a street, which was still taped off in the hours after the alleged attack.
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Met Police Commissioner Mark Rowley slammed the "ghastly" attack - calling it a "difficult moment" for London.
Labour MP Marina Ahmad wrote online: "There has been a traffic collision with a man assaulting occupants in a car and throwing acid.
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"Victims include children. 7.25pm Lessar Avenue, Clapham Common South Side, SW4.
"If you have any information, please contact Crimestoppers 0800 555 111, completely anonymously."