Officers believed the man had taken drugs
A terrifying situation unfolded in south London after a man threatened a bus full of passengers with an alleged corrosive substance. According to Metro, the 44-year-old man threatened passengers on the 109 bus, running between Brixton and Croydon. The incident happened on Sunday night when he boarded the bus and began smoking in the vehicle. Passengers confronted him, but the situation escalated quickly when he took out a bottle of what was believed to be a corrosive substance.
Soon after, emergency services, including the Metropolitan Police's Territorial Support Group, were called to London Road in Thornton Heath while passengers evacuated the bus. Several videos have surfaced online showing armed police surrounding the bus and asking members of the public to move away and stand back, sparking a three-hour stand-off with police.
Police then tasered the 44-year-old suspect and removed him strapped to a wheeled stretcher. He was arrested shortly after midnight for affray. Later, chemical experts were called to the scene to assess the substance. They determined the substance was not harmful.
It is believed the man had taken drugs and he was taken to hospital as a precaution, the Met Police said. The motivations behind the man's actions are unclear.
A spokesperson for the Met said, ''Police responded to calls to London Road shortly after 10.30 pm last night. A man had threatened passengers with an unknown substance. Nobody was held hostage. The man made threats and everyone else on the bus immediately got off. The substance was not thrown. Shortly before midnight, the 44-year-old man was arrested for affray. The substance was found not to be harmful. Taser was discharged before his arrest and officers believe the man was on drugs. As a precaution, he was taken to hospital. His condition is not believed to be life-threatening.''
Meanwhile, police urged people to avoid the area on Sunday evening, advising pedestrians and drivers to seek alternative routes.
Assistant headteacher Anthony Boutall, the Tory candidate for Streatham and Croydon North at the next election, told Standard.co.uk, ''Thank you Croydon police for going into what could have been an immense danger on a bus in Thornton Heath last night. Although no corrosive material was discovered, I am very grateful to those brave souls who walk toward danger to protect others.''