A manhunt is underway after a passenger was attacked on a bus in west London in front of horrified families.
The victim was left with life-changing injuries following the incident on the U1 bus near Uxbridge town center on Monday afternoon.
The attack is said to have taken place after an argument broke out between the victim and two young men, according to witnesses.
The bus pulled up at a stop on Belmont Road and police were called to the scene at around 2pm. Paramedics worked on the victim, who was bleeding heavily.
A builder, who was working nearby at the time of the attack, told Metro: ‘Very quickly, lots of police surrounded the bus. I think the driver must have radioed for help.
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‘The passengers eventually got off the bus – they looked terrified. There were families with children and pensioners; everyone was very shocked, it was the middle of the day.
‘One told me some boys had attacked a man after an argument on the bus.’
One resident who lives near the scene of the attack said: ‘I went to jump on a bus and there were police everywhere. They were talking to the driver.
‘They set up a tent outside the bus and were treating a man. It was very upsetting to see some of the passengers being talked to by police; they looked really shaken up.’
Forensics officers examined the bus while detectives will trawl through the CCTV images from on board the bus.
A pensioner who regularly uses the bus route told Metro that witnesses claimed there had been an argument between the injured man and two young men which had escalated as the bus approached the stop.
The U1 route is a busy commuter bus running from Ruislip to West Drayton stations.
The road and bus stop had reopened by Tuesday morning when Metro visited the scene.
A Met Police spokesperson said: ‘Around 2pm on Monday, November 2, officers were called to Belmont Road, Uxbridge following a report of a serious assault on a bus.
The London Ambulance Service attended, and a 51-year-old man was taken to hospital. His injuries have been assessed as not life-threatening, but potentially life-changing. No arrests have been made and enquiries are ongoing.’
Anyone with information is asked to call police on 101, or to remain anonymous, Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.