McDonald's: Six people taken to hospital after toxic substance sprayed at staff in Waltham Abbey, Essex
A toxic liquid was squirted at staff in a McDonald’s restaurant - and six people were taken to hospital.
Police are now investigating after the attack, which happened at 5.30pm yesterday. They were called to what was described as a “disturbance” at 5.30pm where four people went into a McDonald's and squirted a “substance” at a number of people.
The victims initially thought the liquid was water, but their eyes and skin started stinging and they called the emergency services. It’s not yet known what the liquid was.
Six people received medical attention and were taken to hospital. None of the injuries received is described as serious. The suspects, who were white men, fled.
It happened at a branch in Waltham Abbey, Essex, on the Highbridge Industrial Estate.
Epping Forest and Brentwood District Commander, Chief Inspector Terry Fisher, said: "We know this incident will have been very concerning to customers and staff. We want to reassure you that we are carrying out a thorough investigation so we can establish what happened and the circumstances which led up to it.
“We are exploring all options including whether this was an attempted robbery. Luckily no-one was seriously injured, but this type of violent behaviour will not be tolerated in Essex.
“We will be carrying out test to understand exactly what type of liquid was used in this incident and I would appeal to anyone who witnessed the incident, has video footage or any other information to contact us immediately."
Police want to hear from anyone who knows about the incident, and from people who may have dashcam footage from the surrounding car park at the time. Call Essex Police on 101 quoting incident number 1038 of June 24.