Men on Scooter in London Throw Acid in Faces of 5 People
By ROD NORDLANDJULY 14, 2017
LONDON — Two teenage boys raced through London on a scooter
and threw or sprayed acid in the faces of five other scooter riders apparently chosen at random late Thursday, according to the police.
Four additional attacks, all involving two teenage boys on a scooter, or moped, took place in rapid succession in neighborhoods nearby,
with the assailants spraying acid in the faces of other scooter riders in an apparent attempt to steal their vehicles, the police said.
The attacks began when two assailants on a scooter pulled up to a man on another scooter at an intersection,
threw a corrosive substance in his face and then stole his vehicle, the police said.
Two boys, ages 15 and 16, were arrested in connection with the attacks, committed during a 72-minute spree across the neighborhoods of Clapton, Hackney, Islington
and Stoke Newington in northeast London, the Metropolitan Police said.
All victims were riding mopeds at the time of the attacks, but were from a variety of backgrounds.”
The police said the teenagers had been arrested on suspicion of robbery
and of causing grievous bodily harm, and appealed for witnesses and anyone with footage of the attacks to come forward.
The Metropolitan Police have said that acid attacks are on the rise in the British capital,
with 458 reported last year, nearly double the total of the previous year.