Police Confirm Natural History Museum Collision Driver Had No Motive

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Several people were injured after a car mounted the pavement outside the Natural History Museum in London, yesterday just after 2pm.

A man was arrested at the scene after eleven pedestrians were mowed down by a vehicle, suffering minor injuries. He was pinned to the ground in the city’s museum district shortly after 2.20pm yesterday afternoon.

The Metropolitan Police have since confirmed the incident is being investigated as a road traffic collision and not, as many social media users claimed, terror-related.

A Metropolitan Police statement released at the time read:

Police were called at 1421 on Saturday, 7 October to reports of a collision in Exhibition Road, South Kensington.

It is believed that a number of pedestrians have been injured. Officers are on scene, and the London Ambulance Service have been called.

A man has been arrested at the scene. Enquiries to establish the circumstances and motive are underway.

An updated statement now reads:

Officers and London Ambulance Service attended and found a car had been involved in a collision with a number of pedestrians.

A man aged in his forties was arrested at the scene on suspicion of dangerous driving and was taken to hospital for treatment before being taken to a north London police station for questioning.

The incident is entirely a road traffic investigation and is not a terrorist-related incident.

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Nearby museums and Tube stations including Sloane Square and South Kensington were evacuated in cooperation with the authorities’ efforts to control the scene.

The Natural History Museum Twitter account shared a message regarding the ‘serious incident’.

They were working closely with the police, it added:

One eye-witness stated the injuries sustained seemed to be ‘minor’, an account that has been corroborated with the London Ambulance Service.

11 people were found at the scene with varying injuries and nine of them were taken to hospital for treatment, for ‘mostly head and leg injuries’, including the driver of the car involved.

The majority of those injured have now been discharged and there are no serious injuries.

As armed police were called to the scene, civilians were quick to praise the ‘very calm and professional response from the emergency services’.

Shocked onlookers also took to Twitter to give their accounts:

DC Darren Case from the Roads and Transport Policing Command said:

Because of where this collision occurred and the number of pedestrians involved, I fully appreciate the concern and alarm this incident caused.

Enquiries have established that this incident is not terrorist related and I’d like to thank those who came to assist the injured. Thankfully there are no serious injuries with the majority now discharged from hospital.

Temporary road closures have also now been lifted and we are grateful for the patience of those in and around the area. The man arrested remains in custody for questioning. Officers from Merton Traffic Garage continue to deal.

Twitter/pgreenfielduk

Pictures from the scene show two cars seem to have been involved in the collision. Enquiries are ongoing.

Anyone with any information is asked to contact the Serious Collision Investigation Unit at Merton Traffic Garage on 020 8543 5157. You can also call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Francesca Donovan

A former emo kid who talks too much about 8Chan meme culture, the Kardashian Klan, and how her smartphone is probably killing her. Francesca is a Cardiff University Journalism Masters grad who has done words for BBC, ELLE, The Debrief, DAZED, an art magazine you’ve never heard of and a feminist zine which never went to print.