A minicab driver sparked a major terror alert when his car ploughed into pedestrians in the heart of one of London’s busiest tourist areas, leaving 11 people injured.
People fled for their lives after the black Toyota Prius mounted the pavement close to the Natural History Museum (NHM) in South Kensington on Saturday afternoon.
Video footage posted on Twitter showed a man being restrained on the ground by members of the public after the incident in the heart of the capital’s museums district, an area popular with families with young children.
(@ckaur13/PA)
But Scotland Yard later confirmed the incident, which occurred shortly after 2.20pm, was “not being treated as a terror-related incident” and a man had been arrested over a traffic collision.
Those hurt were mostly suffering from head or leg injuries, the London Ambulance Service said, with nine taken to hospital. None were in a life-threatening condition.
Oliver Cheshire, a model and the fiance of popstar Pixie Lott, was one of those who helped hold the man down after getting out of his Jaguar.
He told the MailOnline the man was “screaming”, adding: “I got out and grabbed him – three of us grabbed him – and someone phoned the police.
“He was an Uber driver, according to the girls that were in his car. I have never seen anything like it.”
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A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: “Whilst inquiries continue it is believed a car mounted the pavement and collided with a number of pedestrians.
“The man detained by officers is currently under arrest and is in custody at a north London police station.
“The incident is a road traffic investigation and not a terrorist-related incident.”
Police at the scene on Exhibition Road in London (Victoria Jones/PA)
(Victoria Jones/PA)
Pictures and footage from the scene in Exhibition Road showed street damage and a massive police presence in the upmarket area, home to the NHM, the Science Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A).
Some images showed the black Toyota Prius, registered with Transport for London (TfL) as a minicab, that had collided with a silver Vauxhall saloon and a Jaguar.
Downing Street had said that Prime Minister Theresa May was being kept up to date with developments.
In a message later on Twitter, she said: “My thanks to the first responders at this incident this afternoon and the actions of members of the public. My thoughts are with the injured.”