Police arrested a 31-year-old man at a London airport on Sunday after a robbery in which 21 people — including a 3-year-old child — were pepper-sprayed and required medical treatment, officials said.
The morning incident took place in Heathrow Airport’s car park when a group of four men stole a woman’s suitcase in a lift and sprayed an irritant at her, the Metropolitan Police said.
“A woman was robbed of her suitcase by a group of four men, who sprayed a substance believed to be pepper spray in her direction,” Commander Peter Stevens said in a statement, adding that passengers in the lift and the surrounding area were also affected.
According to police, the suspects fled the elevator after the incident. They appeared to be three young men dressed all in black, with their heads covered, The Associated Press (AP) reported, citing a witness.
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Armed police officers rush through a Heathrow Airport car park after reports of a pepper spray attack. (Tom Bate/Reuters)
A swarm of officers were captured on video rushing to the scene of the attack, visible with large firearms as they navigated the multi-storey parking garage.
Authorities said the victim and suspects knew each other, and investigators are not treating the case as a terrorism-related incident.
“At this stage we believe the incident involved a group of people who knew each other, with the argument escalating and a number of people being injured,” Stevens said.
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An emergency vehicle outside Heathrow Terminal 3. (Andrew Matthews/PA Images)
“We are not treating this incident as terrorism,” he added. “I understand the public’s concerns and would like to thank people in the area for their cooperation this morning.”
Officials said the 31-year-old is being held on suspicion of assault, and authorities are searching for the other escaped suspects.
Police officers look down from a top floor of a Heathrow Airport car park as they search for suspects in a pepper spray attack. (Tom Bate/Reuters)
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Paramedics treated the victims at the scene and transported five to hospital. Authorities say their injuries are not life-threatening.
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
