A woman was crushed between two cars in a shocking road-rage crash yards from Buckingham Palace.
Dramatic footage shows the female victim, in her 40s, screaming as she is wedged between a Range Rover Evoque and a Mercedes near Hyde Park Corner.
It happened after she got out of her car to confront a driver following a dispute at 8.15pm last night, witnesses said.
Officers are investigating a reports that the £50,000 Range Rover was “deliberately driven” at her before its driver attempted to pull away. The Mercedes was shunted into the front of a double-decked bus.
A passer-by jumped into the driving seat to reverse the 4x4 and free the woman, who crumpled to the road, as police on patrol nearby Tasered a man aged 23. He was today being questioned on suspicion of affray, grievous bodily harm and driving whilst disqualified.
Scotland Yard said the woman, said to have been travelling with a young child, suffered “possible life-changing” injuries. The driver of the Mercedes, said to be a minicab, was also taken to hospital.
Canadian tourist Deepak Anand, 40, watched the incident unfold as he travelled on a bus with his wife and seven-year-old son.
He said: “The woman had been crushed between the two cars. She was screaming in pain. The driver of the Range Rover tried to get away, but police Tasered him. I don’t know why anyone would try to run in a situation like that. Police were there very quickly.”
He added: “The woman had a young kid who looked like he was crying and shouting for help.”
A taxi driver who was a few cars behind in traffic said: “It was chaos. It was very dramatic, at first I thought the two men were exchanging insurance details. I thought it was a minor prang but it then escalated.
“There was a lot of banging and shouting and screams, I had customers in the back and then they told me about the woman lying on the floor. It looked like she had been run over. She was clearly in a lot of pain.”
A Met Police spokesman said: “Officers and London Ambulance Service attended and a woman, in her mid-40s, was taken to a central London hospital for treatment. Her condition is not life-threatening but may be life-changing.
“Officers are investigating an allegation that a Land Rover was deliberately driven at the woman, trapping her against a Mercedes car.
“This Mercedes was then in collision with a stationary bus. There were no reports of anyone injured on the bus.
“A 23-year-old man, the suspected driver of the Land Rover, was arrested at the scene on suspicion of affray. A Taser was discharged by officers during the arrest.
“The arrested man did not require hospital treatment and was taken into custody. He was later further arrested on suspicion of GBH and driving whilst disqualified.
“He remains in custody at a central London police station.”
Any witnesses, anyone with dash-cam footage, or anyone with any information is asked to call police on 101 or contact via Twitter @MetCC. Please quote CAD 6953/11Aug. To give information anonymously, contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or online at crimestoppers-uk.org.
