Htmlspecialchars() expects parameter 1 to be string array given laravel validation

The below view throws the following error: htmlspecialchars[] expects parameter 1 to be string, array given. Weirdly enough this code worked fine for a while before this error popped up.

[The error only comes when the following form is posted. There are no errors while the view is being loaded]

@extends[$template]

@section['content']



    


        
        


            
Report Incident
            

            
                {{ csrf_field[] }}
                

                    Title
                    
                    

                        {{ $errors->first['title'] }}
                    
                
                

                    Date of incident
                    
                    

                        {{ $errors->first['date'] }}
                    
                
                

                    Incident Type
                    
                        @foreach[$types as $type => $icon]
                            @if[$type == old['type']]
                                {{ $type }}
                            @else
                                {{ $type }}
                            @endif
                        @endforeach
                    
                    

                            {{ $errors->first['type'] }}
                    
                
                

                    Description
                    {{ old['description'] }}
                    

                        {{ $errors->first['description'] }}
                    
                
                

                    Upload images [if any]
                    
                    

                        {{ $errors->first['images'] }}
                    
                

                

                    Select Province
                    
                        @foreach[$provinces as $province]
                            @if[$province == old['$province']]
                                {{ $province }}
                            @else
                                {{ $province }}
                            @endif
                        @endforeach
                    
                    

                        {{ $errors->first['province'] }}
                    
                
                

                    Please type in a location
                    
                    

                        {{ $errors->first['pac-input'] }}
                    
                
                

                    Please select an approximate location from the map
                    

                
                

                    Latitude
                    
                
                

                    Longitude
                    
                
                



                
                

                    


                
            

        

    
    





    var map;
    function initAutocomplete[]{
        console.log[document.getElementById['map']];
        map = new google.maps.Map[document.getElementById['map'], {
            center: {lat: 6.870066, lng: 79.879710},
            zoom: 15
        }];
        var marker = new google.maps.Marker[{
            position: {
                lat: 16.870066,
                lng: 80.879710
            },
            map: map,
            draggable: true
        }];

//            document.getElementById['lat'].value = marker.getPosition[].lat[];
//            document.getElementById['lng'].value = marker.getPosition[].lng[];

        var input = document.getElementById['pac-input'];

        var searchBox = new google.maps.places.SearchBox[input];

        google.maps.event.addListener[searchBox, 'places_changed',function[]{
            var places = searchBox.getPlaces[];
            var bounds = new google.maps.LatLngBounds[];
            var i, place;

            for [i=0; place=places[i]; i++] {
                bounds.extend[place.geometry.location];
                marker.setPosition[place.geometry.location];
            }

            map.fitBounds[bounds];
            map.setZoom[15];
        }];

        google.maps.event.addListener[marker, 'position_changed', function[]{
            var lat = marker.getPosition[].lat[];
            var lng = marker.getPosition[].lng[];

            document.getElementById['lat'].value = lat;
            document.getElementById['lng'].value = lng;
        }];
    }



@endsection

I think it has something to do with my declaration of my file uploads input:

                    Upload images [if any]
                    
                    

                        {{ $errors->first['images'] }}
                    

The name I have given the following input is images[] since I want multiple images to be uploaded. When I change the name from images[] to images, the error seems to go away but no images are uploaded/saved [if needed the code to handle the backend image uploading can be posted as well].