Dozens of people, including four children, were injured on Monday evening when a vehicle drove into a crowd gathered for Liverpool Football Club’s Premier League victory parade in northwest England.
According to Merseyside Police, a 53-year-old white British man from the Liverpool area, believed to be the driver, was arrested at the scene.
Authorities have described the crash as an “isolated incident” and confirmed that they are not seeking additional suspects nor treating the case as terrorism-related.
Liverpool Mayor Steve Rotheram stated that the findings of an official investigation will be made public. “It’s not for people on social media to be speculating what happened,” Rotheram said on Tuesday.
“The police are the only people who have all of that information to hand – and they are the people we should trust.”
On Tuesday morning, Reuters footage showed a debris-strewn scene cordoned off by police tape, with a police van parked across the street to block traffic.
The incident occurred as hundreds of thousands of jubilant supporters lined the streets of central Liverpool to witness the club’s open-top bus parade, which celebrated its 20th top-flight league title.
Fans waved flags and lit flares, turning the city red in honour of the team’s achievement.
However, the festive mood abruptly turned to chaos.
Social media video appeared to capture the moment a grey minivan ploughed into the crowd, striking supporters dressed in red. The vehicle was soon surrounded by an angry crowd, who began rocking it.
North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust confirmed that 27 people were transported to hospital. “Four of those were very ill in hospital,” Rotheram added.
Chief Fire Officer Nick Searle of Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service reported that four individuals, three adults and one child, had to be rescued after becoming trapped underneath the vehicle. An additional 20 people were treated on-site for minor injuries.
“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,” eyewitness Harry Rashid told UK’s PA Media.
Rashid, who attended the parade with his wife and young daughters, described a scene of panic and violence.
“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.
Additional footage circulating online shows a confrontation between the driver and bystanders. The minivan is seen stationary as several in the crowd strike it. The car then abruptly reverses before driving away.
Images and video captured by Reuters showed emergency workers attending to the injured, with some victims carried on stretchers to waiting ambulances. Police sealed off the crash site and erected a white tent in the middle of the road.
“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,” eyewitness Peter Jones told the Associated Press.
“He then drove into people, police and medics ran past us, and people were being treated on the side of the road.”
Merseyside Police said they received a call shortly after 6 p.m. local time (1 p.m. ET) reporting a collision involving multiple pedestrians. The force added that a “robust traffic management” plan had been coordinated with parade organizers prior to the incident.
“Extensive enquiries are ongoing to establish the circumstances leading up to the collision and it is vital that people do not speculate or spread misinformation on social media,” said Assistant Chief Constable Jenny Sims in a statement.
‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’
The incident unfolded during a national public holiday, as Liverpool FC players paraded through the city on a 10-mile (16-kilometre) route aboard an open-top bus. Thousands joined the celebration.
Tributes have poured in from across the sporting world, as the city reels from the attack. Former Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp, who attended the parade, posted on Instagram: “Our thoughts and prayers are with all those who are injured and affected. You’ll never walk alone.”
Messages of support also came from rival clubs Manchester United and Everton, as well as the Premier League.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Tuesday that “the whole country stands with Liverpool.”
He added, “My thoughts and the thoughts of the whole country are with all of those that are affected, those injured, which of course includes children, their families, their friends… Liverpool fans everywhere.”
He also praised the emergency services, saying they “did a fantastic job and continue to do so.”
