Written by Arthur Parashar, Sam Lowry
18:33 01 March 2024, 02:09 02 March 2024 Updated
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Police today continue to search for a moped driver who fired into a south London pub with a shotgun during a police chase.
Detectives said they shot two women to death at The Bellevue pub on Clapham Common, ran over a third, then fled the scene on foot, leaving behind the weapon and a moped, before the gunman and the second man were killed. The suspect is still at large.
The suspect fired what appeared to be a shotgun from a moped while the two men were being chased by police near Clapham Common South Side.
Emergency services were called to the pub at around 5pm on Friday after two women suffered shotgun bullet injuries and a third female victim was hit by a moped. Police said all three people were taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
There was a large hole in the glass window of the pub, and the murder weapon and black moped could also be seen in the road. MailOnline understands that the incident is not terrorism-related.
The shooting comes after Sadiq Khan was accused of London’s negligence last month after it emerged that more than 1,000 people have been killed since becoming mayor, prompting calls for police to crack down on crime in the capital. I woke up inside.
Detectives were forced to cordon off a large area of Clapham High Street. Clapham High Street was a bustling nightlife hub where revelers would be getting ready to go out on a Friday night.
Local residents are also clearly upset that all buses on major routes have been cancelled.
Forensic crews continued to work in and around The Bellevue pub last night, and were photographed examining a discarded moped with a blowtorch.
Henry Smith, who was at the Bellevue pub with three friends at the time of the attack, said two women were shot inside the pub and left bleeding.
He told MailOnline: “There was a really loud bang and the glass broke. There were two people who had collided with a moped and ran through the window.
“There was a crashed moped outside and they fired a shotgun out the window. We don’t know if they were aiming at anyone. Two women were shot dead in the pub. They were okay, but… I was bleeding.
“One person was shot in the side of the head or hit by shotgun fragments.”
Mr Smith said there were only about 10 other people in the pub besides his group, and said he “heard a loud bang” and that the suspects were “being chased by police”.
“A lot of police came right away and now it’s on lockdown,” he added.
“The two women were receiving first aid. I went outside to take a look. Part of the shotgun was in the road, part of it was on the footpath. We went to another pub and found it. I did.”
Richard Herbert, owner of the Red Vine restaurant on Clapham High Street, said he heard two gunshots from the restaurant before seeing a motorbike hit the pavement in the aftermath.
“All I heard was two gunshots,” Herbert said from the restaurant at the edge of the cordon.
“By the time I saw something, a motorcycle on the sidewalk had been hit.
“We’re just outside the cordon now.”
Douglas de Souza, owner of Headquarters hair salon on Clapham High Street, experienced the ordeal at his shop.
The 48-year-old man recalled, “I was being chased by the police, so I dropped my bicycle and ran away.”
“I just heard gunshots because the police were chasing them and then they came up behind me. Then they dropped their guns.
“It sounded like a fake gun and we suspect it was a shotgun, but they then fled towards Clapham Park Road.
“There were seven or eight people in my store at the time.
“We are inside the cordon and have not left the store yet. We are waiting for the police and they are outside taking pictures of evidence.
“The gun was very small. Now it’s bagged.
“The shots came in quick succession. It was like bang bang.”
A local barber said he was “shocked” to hear the shooting near his shop near Clapham Common.
The man, who identified himself as Kaka, 34, who works at Chop Barbers, said: “I was at the shop just before 5pm when I heard gunshots in the road.
“We were all shocked because it was so close. Then the police were everywhere.”
A large section of Clapham High Street was closed near Clapham Common, with six buses stuck behind police tape.
Police were heavily stationed on both sides of the cordon, speaking to people attempting to cross.
A London Ambulance Service spokesperson said: “We were called at 4.59pm today (Friday 1st) to reports of an incident in Clapham Common Southside.”
“We have deployed a number of resources including paramedics, operations managers, advanced paramedics and the London Air Ambulance.
“Three people were treated at the scene, two were taken to a major trauma center in London and one person was taken to hospital.”
A crime scene exists, but no arrests have been made.