Police say the male suspect has been taken into custody after a vehicle collided with several Liverpool pedestrians.
A man has been arrested after driving to a Liverpool crowd during a parade to celebrate Liverpool FC’s Premier League football title, emergency services say.
Merseyside police in northwest England said they were contacted shortly after 6pm (17:00 GMT) on Monday.
PA Media News Agency cited police and reported that the arrested man was “a 53-year-old white British man from the Liverpool area.”
“A wide range of investigations are underway to establish the situation leading up to the conflict,” police said. “We ask people not to speculate about the circumstances surrounding tonight’s incident.”
Immediate words from the authorities were not about the number of injured people.
Social media footage appeared to be swaying dark cars in the dense crowd at the end of the celebration as they showed off the trophies on open-top buses around town.
Harry Rashid, who was on the parade with his wife and two young daughters, told The Associated Press that the car began thrust people around three meters (10 feet) away from him.
“It was very fast,” Rashid said. “In the beginning, I just heard pop, pop, pop, pop from people being knocked out of the hood of a car.”
The crowd and uniformed police officers quickly surrounded the vehicle, with several people lying on the ground.
Cordons were set up and fire trucks were also on the scene.
Prime Minister Kiel Starmer said he is keeping an update on the incident.
“The Liverpool scene is horrifying. My thoughts are with all those injured or affected. I would like to thank the police and emergency services for their prompt and ongoing response to this shocking incident,” Starmer told social media.
The incident followed a massive celebration in the city centre. There, tens of thousands of dances, scarves and flag waving fans leapt bravely in the rainy weather, and they saw Liverpool players display Premier League trophies on two buses carrying the words “Our Again.”
A time-long procession surrounded by thick layers of police and safety raw along the 10-mile (16 km) route, passing through a sea of red smoke and rain. Fireworks exploded from a royal liver building in the heart of the city, appearing to mark the end of the parade.
Rashid said the car stopped after hitting the first victim and the crowd began charging the vehicle and destroying the windows.
“But he put his feet down again and plowed the rest. He just kept going,” Rashid said. “It was horrifying, and you could hear the bumps as he was watching people.”
Rashid said it looked intentional and he was shocked and distrustful.
“My daughter started screaming, and there was someone on the ground,” he said. “They are just innocent people, they just have fans enjoying the parade.”
Meanwhile, Liverpool said in a post by X that it was in direct contact with police about the event. “Our thoughts and prayers are with those affected by this serious incident,” the team said.
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