A 34-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after a car ploughed into five pedestrians on a busy West London shopping street, leaving three people in hospital.
The Metropolitan Police confirmed the driver, a Somalia-born British man, was detained on suspicion of dangerous driving and attempted murder after the vehicle failed to stop at the scene in Ealing Broadway. Officers stopped the car in nearby Grange Park ‘a short time later’, a force spokesperson said.
“Man, 34, arrested after car hits five pedestrians in Ealing Broadway; three hospitalised.”
The incident happened at 2.29pm on Saturday, triggering a major emergency response. London Ambulance Service sent ambulance crews, paramedics in fast response cars, a volunteer emergency responder crew, an incident response officer, and London’s Air Ambulance. Three patients were treated at the scene, with one taken to a major trauma centre by road as a priority. The other two were taken to a local hospital. None of the victims suffered life-threatening or life-changing injuries, police said.
A witness who filmed the emergency response described the scene as ‘serious’, sharing a video on X showing the driver fleeing – speeding up after a person tried to open his car door while others kicked the vehicle. The witness added: ‘There’s a car with some damage to its rear bumper. One person has been picked up and put into an ambulance, and there’s two people lying on the floor.’
Alexander Stafford, a former councillor for Ealing Broadway, wrote on X: ‘Absolutely horrific news from Ealing Broadway – as a councillor I used to represent this area and used to work in that very M&S. Praying for a speedy recovery for all the injured.’
Met Police liaised with Counter Terrorism Policing London during initial enquiries, but the force stressed the incident is not being treated as terrorism. ‘While investigators are keeping an open mind as to any potential motive, the incident is not being treated as terrorism,’ a spokesperson said.
The Broadway remains closed in both directions between High Street and Spring Bridge Road, with several bus routes diverted. Police warned that closures could ‘remain in place for some time’. Anyone with footage or information is asked to call 101, quoting reference 4607/27JUN.