A 53-year-old British man plowed his minivan into a crowd of Liverpool soccer fans at a parade celebrating the city team’s Premier League championship on Monday, as shouts of joy turned into shrieks of terror, injuring more than 45 people.
The driver arrested was believed to be the only one involved in the incident and it was not being investigated as an act of terrorism, police said.
“We believe this to be an isolated incident and we are not currently looking for anyone else in relation to it,” Merseyside police Assistant Chief Const. Jenny Sims told media at an evening news conference.
Dave Kitchin of North West Air Ambulance said 27 people were taken to the hospital, with two suffering serious injuries, and another 20 people were treated at the scene for minor injuries. At least four children were injured.
Firefighters had to lift the vehicle to free four victims trapped beneath it. One of those injured was a medic who had been on duty on a bicycle.
“It has cast a very dark shadow over what had been a joyous day for the city,” city council leader Liam Robinson said at a late night news conference.
‘It was extremely fast’: witness
As the parade was wrapping up, a grey minivan turned onto the parade route and plowed into the sea of fans wrapped in their red Liverpool scarves, jerseys and other memorabilia.
“It was extremely fast,” said Harry Rashid, who was at the parade with his wife and two young daughters as the vehicle passed by them. “Initially, we just heard the pop, pop, pop of people just being knocked off the bonnet of a car.”
Rashid said the crowd charged the halted vehicle and began smashing windows.
“But then he put his foot down again and just plowed through the rest of them, he just kept going,” Rashid said. “It was horrible. And you could hear the bumps as he was going over the people.
Rashid said it looked deliberate.
“My daughter started screaming and there were people on the ground,” he said. “They were just innocent people, just fans going to enjoy the parade.”
Tens of thousands of Liverpool fans had come out to celebrate the team winning the Premier League this season for a record-tying 20th top-flight title.
Merseyside police said they were trying to establish what led to the incident and asked people not to speculate or share “distressing content online.”
‘A car flew past me’
Peter Jones, who had travelled from Isle of Man, said he heard the car smash into the crowd and saw at least a half-dozen people down.
“We heard a frantic beeping ahead, a car flew past me and my mate, people were chasing it and trying to stop him, windows smashed at the back,” Jones said. “He then drove into people, police and medics ran past us, and people were being treated on the side of the road.”
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer called the scenes appalling and hailed the bravery of rescuers.
“Everyone, especially children, should be able to celebrate their heroes without this horror,” Starmer said. “The city has a long and proud history of coming together through difficult times. Liverpool stands together and the whole country stands with Liverpool.”
Liverpool’s last league title came in 2020, but supporters were denied the chance to publicly celebrate that trophy due to COVID-19 restrictions in place at the time.
This time, scarf-and-flag-waving fans braved wet weather to line the streets and climb up traffic lights to get a view of Liverpool’s players who were atop two buses bearing the words “Ours Again.”
The hours-long procession — surrounded by a thick layer of police and security — crawled along a 16-kilometre route and through a sea of red smoke and rain. Fireworks exploded from the Royal Liver Building in the heart of the city.
The team in a short statement said its thoughts and prayers were with those affected. The Premier League issued a similar statement expressing shock at the “appalling events in Liverpool.”
