It’s not being treated as a homophobic attack
Two men attacked a group of people in Hackney in London during the early hours of Sunday (6 May).
Three men – aged 17, 22, and 27 – suffered potentially ‘lasting’ injuries in the attack.
A witness woke up around 5am when he heard a commotion. The attack happened on Shacklewell Lane, at the junction with Alvington Crescent – near the gay bar, Dalston Superstore.
‘They were punching at people walking either side of the road,’ the witness described. ‘One man was being kicked as he lay on the floor. The people were terrified, they weren’t fighting back.’
In the midst of the fighting, they took water bottles from the car and began squirting people with it. The witness recalled wondering why were squirting water, before realizing it was acid.
‘People were screaming in pain and running. I heard one person shouting he couldn’t see and saying, “It’s in my eyes.”‘
A vicious incident
Scotland Yard is not treating the attack as a homophobic crime.
However, Detective Sergeant Quinn Cutler described the incident as ‘victious and unpleasant’, with the potential for ‘lasting injuries’.
‘I know that a number of people witnessed this incident and I urge those people to come forward and share their information and/or footage with police,’ Cutler added.
Police have made no arrests in the case.
H/t: Evening Standard
UPDATE
8 May 2018: An earlier version of this story stated the victims were attacked leaving Dalston Superstore. It is now known the victims had not been at the bar, which closed several hours previously. We have updated out story accordingly. Anyone with information is asked to call Hackney CID on 07825 793 215 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
