Two thugs involved in a Clapham shooting last night were being chased by police when they dropped a shotgun that maimed two women when it went off, the Metropolitan Police has revealed.
Police said they were in pursuit of the two suspects who had failed to stop in the Clapham Common South Side area when their moped collided with a 27-year-old man and crashed on the street.
As the two men scrambled to get away, one of them dropped a shotgun they were carrying, which discharged and maimed two women, aged 27 and 36, while they were sat in The Belle Vue pub just outside Clapham Common tube station.
No arrests have been made and the two thugs are still on the run after making off on foot ‘through gardens’ at 4:55pm on Friday, police said in an update today.
All three victims were taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries. They have now been released, they added.
Police launched a manhunt for a gunman after three people were injured in a south London shooting on Friday. A picture posted on social media appears to show a shotgun discarded in the street
A weapon appears to have been left at the scene while a suspected bullet hole is left in a window of the Belle Vue pub in Clapham
A moped is discarded on the street by Clapham Common station following the incident on Friday
DCI Gemma Alger, Specialist Crime, said: ‘Our investigation to identify the two people responsible is at an early stage, but we will be relentless in following up every line of enquiry to arrest them.
‘The suspects fled the scene on foot. Crime scenes remain in place in St Alphonsus Road as forensic searches are ongoing at premises where the suspects made off through gardens.
‘The shotgun was recovered from the scene and this will also be subject to forensic analysis.
‘I want to hear from anyone with information about the incident and any witnesses yet to speak with police. CCTV footage will form part of our investigation, and of course I also want to hear from anyone who has dashcam footage that may assist the investigation.
‘Local Officers will be in the area to provide reassurance to the local community.’
The Met added the Independent Office for Police Conduct has been informed of the incident as it took place following the police pursuit. The Met’s Directorate of Professional Standards has also been made aware.
A large hole could be seen in the glass window of the pub, while a weapon and a black moped were also visible on the road following the incident last night.
Emergency crews rushed to the scene at around 5pm on Friday following the terrifying incident which is believed to have taken place outside the Belle Vue pub in Clapham Common
Detectives were forced to close off a significant stretch of Clapham High Street – a busy nightlife hub which revellers would have been getting ready to descend on for a Friday night out.
Locals were also visibly irate that all buses through the major route have been cancelled.
Forensics last night continued to work in and around The Belle Vue pub and were pictured examining the discarded moped using torches.
Henry Smith, who was in the Belle Vue pub with three friends at the time of the attack, said that two women were left bleeding after being shot whilst inside the pub.
He told MailOnline: ‘There was a really loud bang and broken glass. There were two people who ran past the window having crashed their moped.
‘There was a crashed moped outside and they shot a shotgun through the window. I’m not sure if they were aiming for someone. Two women got shot in the pub. They were alright but bleeding.
‘One was shot on the side of the head or got hit by shotgun shrapnel.’
Mr Smith, who said there were only around 10 others inside the pub on top of his group, said he ‘heard a massive bang’ and that the suspects were being ‘chased by police.
‘There were lots of police very soon and now it’s cordoned off,’ he added.
‘The two women were getting first aid. I went outside and had a look. Part of the shotgun was in the road and part of it was in the pavement – we went to another pub.’
Richard Herbert, owner of Red Vine restaurant on Clapham High Street, said that he heard two gunshots from the eatery before seeing a motorcycle crashed on the pavement in the aftermath.
From his restaurant on the edge of the cordon, Mr Herbert said: ‘Two gunshots are all we heard.
‘By the time I saw anything there was a motorbike on the pavement crashed.
‘We are just outside the cordon now.’
Douglas De Souza, owner of Headquarterz hairdressers on Clapham High Street saw the ordeal from his shop.
The 48-year-old recalled: ‘They were being chased by the police and they dropped the bike and ran.
‘The police were chasing them and they came up behind then and I just heard the shots. They dropped the gun after.
‘I have my doubts about it being a shotgun because it sounded like a fake gun but then they ran away down Clapham Park Road.
‘There were seven or eight people in my shop at the time.
‘We are within the cordon – we haven’t left the shop yet. We are waiting for police and they are outside taking pictures of the evidence.
‘The gun was very small. Its been bagged up now.
‘The shots were quick in succession – like bang bang.’
