Thread: Car ploughs into fans at Liverpool parade, injuring dozens; police rule out terrorism

A car ploughed into large crowds of Liverpool fans during a parade celebrating their side's Premier League title on Monday (May 26), hospitalising 27 people, with two seriously injured, but police said they did not believe the incident was terrorism-related.


Police said they had arrested a "53-year-old white British man from the Liverpool area", whom they believed to be the driver of the vehicle which struck a large group of supporters who were celebrating in the city in northwest England.

Twenty people were treated at the scene. Ambulance officials said of the 27 taken to hospital, four were children. One child and one adult were in a serious condition.


Four people trapped under the vehicle had to be released by firefighters.

Videos on social media showed people thrown into the air as the car rammed into spectators.


When the car stopped, angry fans converged on it and began smashing the windows as police officers intervened to prevent them from reaching the driver.


"We believe this to be an isolated incident, and we are not currently looking for anyone else in relation to it. The incident is not being treated as terrorism," temporary Deputy Chief Constable Jenny Sims told reporters.


With most people off work for the Spring Bank Holiday, hundreds of thousands of fans gathered to watch the Liverpool team and its staff travel through the city centre on an open-top bus with the Premier League trophy.


The bus carrying the team had passed by Water Street just minutes before the car ran into the crowd, witnesses told media.


The incident "cast a very dark shadow over what had been a joyous day", Liverpool city council leader Liam Robinson said on social media.

In the aftermath, a Reuters photographer saw emergency services carrying victims on stretchers to ambulances and debris scattered on the road.


Police were unusually quick to give a description of the man they arrested.


Dal Babu, a former chief superintendent in London's Metropolitan Police, told the BBC this was an effort to cool social media speculation that the episode was an Islamist attack.


The same police force oversaw the response to the murder of three young girls in the nearby town of Southport last year, an incident which sparked days of rioting, sparked by speculation online over the identity of the attacker.

SCREAMS, COMMOTION


An eyewitness to Monday's incident, who gave her name as Chelsea, told BBC Radio that people packed onto the street were only alerted to the danger by screams from the crowd. That enabled some to jump out of the way as the driver showed no sign of slowing.


"With the commotion, that was the only reason we looked up, and thankfully, looked up and managed to jump out (of) the way in time," the woman said.


A Reuters witness said that before the incident, there was disorder in the city centre where the parade was due to pass, with overcrowding and spectators confused by a lack of signage about street closures or where they should go.


"It was extremely fast," said Harry Rashid, 48, from Solihull, near Birmingham, central England, who was at the parade with his wife and two young daughters.


"Initially we just heard the pop, pop, pop of people just being knocked off the bonnet of the car," he told reporters.


"It was horrible and you could hear the bumps as he was going over the people."


Witness Mike Maddra said the "car turned left mounted pavement, come towards us and runs towards the buildings".


He said "we got out the way and it was speeding up".


BBC reporter Matt Cole who was at the parade with his family said: "There were screams ahead of us and suddenly this dark blue car just came through the crowd.


"It just wasn't stopping. I managed to grab my daughter who was with me and jump out of the way," he said, adding the car "missed myself and my family by literally inches".

Politicians in Britain and in Ireland, where the club is popular, thanked emergency services.


"My thoughts are with all those injured or affected," Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on X, calling the scenes "appalling" and saying that he was being updated about the events.


The team said on X it was in direct contact with police.


"Our thoughts and prayers are with those who have been affected by this serious incident," Liverpool FC said.


And Liverpool metro mayor, Steve Rotheram, said it was "a difficult day for our city region, but we stand together".


Everton, Liverpool's Merseyside rivals, also said the club's "thoughts are with all those who have been affected by this serious incident in our city".


The city had earlier been a sea of red as hundreds of thousands of supporters packed the city's streets in celebration.


Star players Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk led the festivities alongside their teammates on the top deck of the bus.


Plumes of red smoke from flares had filled the air as the players took four hours to cover the 16km route.

Liverpool's record-equalling 20th English top-flight title was secured nearly a month ago as Arne Slot's men wrapped up the Premier League with four games to spare.


However, they were only presented with the trophy after Sunday's final match against Crystal Palace.


Despite Liverpool's storied history, the club's fanbase had been waiting 35 years to collectively celebrate a league title.


When Jurgen Klopp's side ended a 30-year drought without winning the league in 2020, there was no parade due to coronavirus restrictions.


Liverpool's football history has been shadowed by tragedy.


In 1989, 97 Liverpool fans died in a crush at a game in the Hillsborough stadium in Sheffield.


More than 760 people were also injured in the deadliest disaster in British sporting history, which still scars the port city.


In 1985, 39 mainly Italian fans were killed when a wall collapsed amidst disturbances between Liverpool and Juventus fans at the Heysel Stadium in Brussels.

Car ploughs into fans at Liverpool parade, injuring dozens; police rule out terrorism - CNA

Old news in these parts.

Horrible videos on social media.

Thankfully out of the 65 hospital admissions nobody died.

Originally Posted by Joe 90

Old news in these parts.

Horrible videos on social media.

Thankfully out of the 65 hospital admissions nobody died.

Yes, unfortunately ghouls love posting this shit with no respect for the victims.