Police are hunting for two gunmen after three people were injured in a shooting at a south London pub this afternoon.
The Metropolitan Police said that a firearm, believed to be a shotgun, was discharged from a moped that they had been chasing near Clapham Common South Side.
Emergency crews rushed to The Belle Vue pub in Clapham Common at around 5pm after two women suffered shotgun pellet injuries and a third female victim was run over by the moped before the suspects discarded the vehicle and fled the scene on foot.
A large hole can be seen in the glass window of the pub, while a weapon and a black moped were also visible on the road. understands that the incident is not terror related.
Detectives have closed off a significant stretch of Clapham High Street – a busy nightlife hub which revellers would have been getting ready to descend on tonight. Locals were also visibly irate that all buses through the major route have been cancelled.
Paramedics with the London Ambulance Service have taken the victims to hospital but none of the injuries are thought to be life-threatening.
Forensics continued to work this evening in and around The Belle Vue pub and are currently examining the discarded moped using torches.
The shooting comes amid a growing clamour for police to clampdown on crime in the capital, with Sadiq Khan accused of failing Londoners last month after it emerged that more than 1,000 people have been killed since he became mayor.
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.
Police have launched a manhunt for a gunman after three people were injured in a south London shooting this afternoon. A picture posted on social media appears to show a sawn-off 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 this afternoon. Police said the two gunmen were being pursued by police when they crashed their moped
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. Shattered glass can be seen on one of the pub windows
He told : ‘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.
Forensics are currently examining the discarded moped using torches
Six buses remained stuck inside the police tape as the scene was cordoned off this afternoon
The shooting comes amid a growing clamour for police to clampdown on crime in the capital
Sadiq Khan was accused of failing Londoners last month after it emerged that more than 1,000 people have been killed since he became mayor
A group of people could be seen this evening investigating the scene and inspecting the moped
Shots are thought to have been fired through the window of The Belle Vue pub – no arrests have yet been made
The Belle Vue pub remained shut on Friday night after two women were injured from gunshots into the premises
Police remain at the scene of the shooting in the nightlife hub of Clapham tonight after the terrifying incident this afternoon
The Belle Vue pub was closed tonight following the shooting in Clapham this afternoon. 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
Detectives have closed off a significant stretch of Clapham High Street – a busy nightlife hub which revellers would have been getting ready to descend on tonight
The two suspects fled the scene on foot and the moped was left on the street outside the pub
Forensics could be seen working this evening in and around The Belle Vue pub
The area remained cordoned off by police into Friday evening
Police continued to search for the suspects, who fled the scene by foot, tonight
‘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.
Photos taken by bar staff at The Belle Vue pub in Clapham Common show part of a shotgun discarded on the road
Shots appeared to have been fired into the pub, leaving a hole in the window and shattered glass
‘The shots were quick in succession – like bang bang.’
A local barber said he was left ‘shocked’ after hearing shooting close to his shop near Clapham Common.
The man, who gave his name as Kaka, 34, who works in Chop Barbers, said: ‘I was in the shop just before 5pm and I heard a gunshot up the road.
‘We were all shocked because it was so close, the police were everywhere afterwards.’
A significant stretch of Clapham High Street is still closed near Clapham Common with six buses stuck inside the police tape.
There is a heavy police presence at both sides of the cordon speaking to people attempting to get through.
A London Ambulance Service spokesperson said: ‘We were called today (Friday 1) at 4.59pm to reports of an incident in Clapham Common South Side.
Police cordoned off the area in Clapham Common as they investigated the suspected shooting
Emergency crews were called at around 5pm on Friday to the incident in Clapham Common South Side, the service said.
In a statement, it added: ‘We sent a number of resources including ambulance crews, operational managers, advanced paramedics and London’s air ambulance.
‘We sent a number of resources including ambulance crews, operational managers, advanced paramedics and London’s air ambulance.
‘We treated three people at the scene and took two to a London major trauma centre and one to hospital.’
A crime scene is in place and there have been no arrests.