Two off-duty emergency service workers were sprayed in the face with an “unknown substance” after stopping to help passengers inside a burning car following a serious collision on the M11.
An off-duty policeman and an off-duty paramedic were attacked when they stopped to assist after they noticed a collision between a lorry and a car on the M11 in Essex.
The two men in the car, which had been stolen, left the vehicle when it caught on fire and sprayed an unknown substance in the faces of the off-duty emergency service workers. The pair left the scene in a white Vauxhall Astra which they stole from a member of the public who had also stopped to help.
The incident – which took placed on Friday evening – has been described as shocking by Essex police. The victims received medical treatment, but it is not thought they will suffer any long-term effects.
Ch Supt Luke Collison said: “We have launched a significant investigation to track down the suspects and bring them to justice. Good samaritans who witnessed a serious collision stopped to provide urgent medical care, and were met by two dangerous offenders and seriously assaulted. Included in the group who stopped, were two off duty members of our emergency services. We are thankful that their injuries are not worse and that no other members of the public were seriously harmed.”
Essex police are searching for two suspects in relation to the incident. The first is Asian, aged 25-30, who was bearded and was wearing a baseball cap, a navy blue buttoned top and dark coloured bottoms and had a small, black leather bag. The second is white, aged 20-25, with short dark hair. He was wearing a khaki coloured jumper and jogging bottoms.
