A car collided with a number of pedestrians in the center of Liverpool in northwest England, injuring at least 27, officials said Monday, as thousands lined the streets to celebrate Liverpool Football Club’s English Premier League title win.
At least 27 people, including four children, were hospitalized for their injuries, North West Ambulance Service Head of Service David Kitchin said. Of those people, one adult and one child have serious injuries, Kitchin said.
Twenty more people were treated at the scene for minor injuries, Kitchin said. Additional patients have shown up at local hospitals, as well.
Fire crews lifted the vehicle, which video showed was a minivan, off four people who were trapped underneath, including a child, said Nick Searle, chief fire officer for Merseyside Fire and Rescue. They were all taken to the hospital.
Describing it as a “major incident” on X, Merseyside police said the car “stopped at the scene” and a man was detained. In a later statement, police said “the suspect was white, British and from the Liverpool area.” It added that he was 53 years old.
Assistant Chief Constable Jenny Sims said at a news conference Monday evening that officials believe the arrested man is the one who was behind the wheel.
Sims said officials and investigators are working to understand what happened leading up to the collision, which he said is not being investigated as an act of terrorism. She said that it was an isolated incident and that officials are not looking for anyone else in connection with it.
Video showed emergency vehicles and police cordons around a heavily littered road.
Social media video from before the collision and several streets away shows people yelling at the van, kicking it and trying to open its doors as the driver moves it back and forth. Verified video of the ramming appears to show the van moments later, a large crowd surrounding it as paradegoers continue to hit its exterior.
Then, the video shows the vehicle speeding up and driving through the crowd, knocking down a number of pedestrians. It continues to plow through the fan-filled streets, and there are a large number of people who appear to be injured lying on the ground.
After the car comes to a stop, the video shows angry Liverpool fans swarming it once again, pounding on its windows and exterior as police rush to break up the scene.
Another social media video from street level and verified appears to show the aftermath of the ramming. Police navigate the large and crowded streets. In the video, witnesses say the driver knocked over at least six people.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer called the scenes “appalling” on X. “My thoughts are with all those injured or affected,” he said, adding that he was “being kept updated on developments.”
Via NBC