London
CNN
—
UK police have arrested a man after a car plowed into Liverpool fans during the soccer club’s Premier League trophy parade on Monday evening.
“The man arrested is a 53-year-old white British man from the Liverpool area,” Merseyside police said in a statement, urging people not to speculate on the circumstances of the incident.
The local police force previously said they were contacted just after 6 p.m. local time (1 p.m. ET) “following reports a car had been in collision with a number of pedestrians” in the city center.
“The car stopped at the scene and a male has been detained,” it added.
The incident comes the same day the city was filled with soccer fans attending an open-top bus parade to celebrate Liverpool Football Club’s 20th top-flight league title.
Video from social media appears to show the vehicle plowing into pedestrians celebrating in the street.
“This gray people carrier just pulled up from the right and just rammed into all the people at the side of us … It was extremely fast. Initially, we just heard the pop, pop, pop of people just being knocked off the bonnet of a car,” one fan, Harry Rashid, told the UK’s PA Media news agency.
Rashid, who attended the parade with his wife and two young daughters, said crowds of people ran over and started to smash the car’s windows. “It was horrible. And you could hear the bumps as he was going over the people … I saw people lying on the ground, people unconscious. It was horrendous. So horrendous,” he said.
“The scenes in Liverpool are appalling – my thoughts are with all those injured or affected,” UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said, thanking police and emergency services “for their swift and ongoing response to this shocking incident.”
Footage shared by Reuters news agency showed emergency services tending to people, some being carried into ambulances on stretchers.
Photos from the scene also showed authorities cordoning off the heavily littered roads, with police officers investigating the area.
Liverpool Football Club said it is in contact with Merseyside Police regarding the incident. “Our thoughts and prayers are with those who have been affected by this serious incident. We will continue to offer our full support to the emergency services and local authorities who are dealing with this incident,” it said on X.
Everton Football Club, the local rival team to Liverpool FC, and the Premier League also offered their condolences on social media.
North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) said it is supporting an incident in Liverpool city center following reports of a road traffic collision.
“We are currently assessing the situation and working with other members of the emergency services. Our priority is to ensure people receive the medical help they need as quickly as possible,” it said in a press release.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
