British police were holding a 53-year-old man on Tuesday after a collision turned a jubilant Liverpool football celebration into tragedy, leaving more than two dozen people hospitalized – four in critical condition.
Merseyside Police said the incident is not being treated as terrorism and confirmed they are not seeking additional suspects. The driver has not been publicly identified, in line with British police protocol not to name suspects before charges are filed.
Detectives are investigating how a minivan plowed into tightly packed crowds on a narrow street shortly after Liverpool Football Club celebrated its Premier League title with an open-top bus parade.
Water Street, near the River Mersey in central Liverpool, remained cordoned off with police tape. A blue forensic tent stood in the middle of the road, now strewn with remnants of the celebration – bottles, cans and Liverpool flags.
Liverpool City Region metro mayor Steve Rotheram said four of the injured were “very, very ill in hospital.”
The North West Ambulance Service said a total of 47 people were injured, 27 of whom were taken to local hospitals. The remaining 20 were treated at the scene for minor injuries. No deaths were reported.
Four of the injured are children, said ambulance service spokesman Dave Kitchin.
Four victims, including one child, were trapped under the van and had to be freed by firefighters who lifted the vehicle.
Hundreds of thousands of Liverpudlians had filled the streets of the port city in northwest England on Monday to celebrate the club’s record-tying 20th top-flight title.
As the parade was winding down, a minivan turned into a street just off the route and plowed into a sea of fans dressed in red Liverpool scarves, jerseys and memorabilia. A video posted on social media showed the van striking a man, tossing him into the air, before veering into a larger crowd and pushing bodies along the street before stopping.
“It was extremely fast,” said Harry Rashid, who was with his wife and two young daughters as the van passed them. “Initially, we just heard the pop, pop, pop of people being knocked off the bonnet of the car.”
Rashid said the crowd swarmed the stopped vehicle and began smashing its windows.
“But then he put his foot down again and just plowed through the rest of them – he just kept going,” Rashid said. “It was horrible. You could hear the bumps as he went over people.”
Police identified the suspect as a white local man, possibly to prevent misinformation from spreading online.
Last summer, a teen in the nearby town of Southport killed three girls in a stabbing at a dance class and wounded 10 others, including two adults. An incorrect name circulated on social media, falsely claiming the suspect was an asylum seeker. In fact, he had been born in the United Kingdom. Rioting spread across England and Northern Ireland, targeting Muslims and refugees in hotels, and lasted about a week.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer called the scenes in Liverpool appalling and praised the bravery of first responders.
“Everyone, especially children, should be able to celebrate their heroes without this horror,” Starmer said. “The city has a long and proud history of coming together through difficult times. Liverpool stands together, and the whole country stands with Liverpool.”
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