Police in Liverpool in the United Kingdom declared there had been a “major incident” during Liverpool football team’s Premier League victory parade on Monday.
Merseyside police said they had been called just after 6 p.m. (1700 GMT) “following reports a car had been in collision with a number of pedestrians on Water Street. The car stopped at the scene and a male detained.”
“We can confirm the man arrested is a 53-year-old white British man from the Liverpool area,” Merseyside police said in a statement on posted on their website.
Police asked people not to speculate as to the circumstances of the incident and for people “not to share distressing content online” but to rather send it through to them.
Unverified footage appearing on social media showed a dark colored vehicle strike at least one person before veering into a larger crowd of others.
Crowds then appeared to surround the vehicle before the driver was apprehended.
A spokesperson for the North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) said: “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.”
An AFP news agency journalist reported that at least four people were carried away on stretchers but its is not yet known how many have been injured.
Harry Rashid, who was at the parade with his wife and two young daughters, told AP news agency that the car began ramming people about 10 feet (3 meters) away from him.
“It was extremely fast,” Rashid said. “Initially, we just heard the pop, pop, pop of people just being knocked off the bonnet of a car.”
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer expressed shock at the scenes from Liverpool and expressed his thanks to first responders.
“The scenes in Liverpool are appalling — my thoughts are with all those injured or affected. I want to thank the police and emergency services for their swift and ongoing response to this shocking incident,” Starmer said in a post on social media platform X.
“I’m being kept updated on developments and ask that we give the police the space they need to investigate,” Starmer added.
Liverpool FC had taken part in an open-bus parade through the city to celebrate the season’s triumph with estimates that in excess of one million people were attending the event.
The football club said it was in direct contact with local authorities and that the incident had taken place towards the end of the trophy parade.
“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,” Liverpool FC said on X. – DW.
