A 53-year-old white British man plowed a car into a crowd of Liverpool FC England fans during the Premier League victory parade on Monday, injuring 27 people, including two seriously. The incident is not being treated as terrorism, according to Merseyside Police.
The car began ramming people about 3 meters away from a witness, Harry Rashid, who described the driver as moving deliberately and continuing to plow through the crowd.
Sonny Singh, a witness, saw an injured teenager and dozens of people running and screaming after the collision. Matt Cole, a BBC reporter, witnessed the car not stopping and narrowly missing his family.
Twenty-seven people were taken to hospital, including two with serious injuries, one of whom is a child. Another 20 people were treated at the scene for minor injuries, with four children among them. Four people, including one child, were trapped under the car and had to be freed by emergency services. Four children are among the injured.
The North West Ambulance Service and Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service worked together to treat the injured and free those trapped under the vehicle. Chief Fire Officer Nick Searle of Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service described the scene and the efforts to lift the car and rescue the trapped individuals.
Merseyside Police Assistant Chief Constable Jenny Sims confirmed at a press conference that the incident is not being treated as terrorism. The 53-year-old man was arrested at the scene and is believed to be the driver of the vehicle.
The police are conducting extensive enquiries to establish the circumstances leading up to the collision and have stated that it is an isolated incident. The public has been urged not to share distressing footage from the incident online and to report any information directly to the police.
Liverpool FC has offered its full support to the emergency services. Liam Robinson from Liverpool City Council paid tribute to the NHS staff and emergency services and asked people not to share footage on social media.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer expressed his shock and praised the emergency services for their swift response. He said, "The scenes in Liverpool are appalling. Everyone, especially children, should be able to celebrate their heroes without this horror. The city has a long and proud history of coming together through difficult times. Liverpool stands together and the whole country stands with Liverpool"
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer described the scenes as "appalling" and thanked the emergency services for their swift response.
