Driver hits pedestrians outside Natural History Museum | Daily Mail Online
Eleven people have been injured after a car mounted the pavement and mowed down pedestrians outside the Natural History Museum in London this afternoon.
A man was pinned down by security guards and arrested by police in the heart of the capital's museum land in Kensington.
Hundreds of terrified tourists fled the scene as the black Toyota Prius - a registered minicab - careered into a sign before ultimately crashing into a crowd of as many as 10 people as it hit a silver car, according to witnesses.
Dramatic pictures show guards holding down a man covered in blood with rubble strewn across the road. Dozens of armed officers converged on the scene as search dogs patrolled the area.
Nearby museums including the Science Museum were evacuated with Tube stations sealed off by police.
The injured were seen sitting on steps being bandaged up before they were wheeled away by paramedics. London Ambulance Service confirmed they treated 11 people, mainly for leg and head injuries, with nine taken to hospital.
Scotland Yard said they were keeping an open mind as to whether the incident is terror-related. A spokesman said a 'number' of people had been injured in the horror crash.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan said he is in 'close contact' with Assistant Met Commissioner Mark Rowley - the head of UK counter-terrorism policing.
Today's incident follows a series of vehicle attacks across Europe which have left well over 100 people dead in Britain, France, Germany and Stockholm.
Banker Greg King, who was walking with his friend Georgie Sheard in the area, claims he was the first person to call the police after nearly being hit by the vehicle.
The 22-year-old told MailOnline: 'A black Toyota went ploughing straight towards us and the crowd. I heard tyres screeching and a lot of screaming and then a massive smash which was him hitting a sign and the glass falling.
'He then swerved and went smashing into the silver car on the other side of the road which stopped him.
'People were sprinting in all directions and then it looked like a security guard from the museum and two members of the public were pinning him down.
'He had blood in his mouth so I assume they smashed him down on the ground.
'If he hadn't turned in the road he would have gone straight into us. I could literally see the whites of his eyes.
'There were loads of families. There was one guy who was running with a pram above his head while his wife held the baby so they could move faster.'
He then saw what appeared to be a father with his young daughter jumping out of the back of the car.
Greg continued: 'If he hadn't done that turn at the last moment we would have been hit and he could have taken everyone down on that side of the road.
'The car was still practically in motion when I picked up the phone to the police. The woman said: 'What do you need?' and I just said: 'Send everyone'. Within seconds I could see helicopters overhead.
'It was obvious to me that it wasn't an accident as it was a pedestrianised zone and cars should have been going along slowly anyway.
'Then the minute someone had him on the ground he wasn't saying anything or struggling. He'd be shouting if it was a mistake.'
Georgie Sheard, 21, a student from Warwickshire, said: 'It was literally so close. If we were 10 steps ahead it would have been us hit. I just froze. I happened so quickly I just didn't know what to do.'
Amy Philips, 28, was driving towards department store Harrods with her son and husband when she heard horns blaring and people screaming outside the Natural History museum.
