Car rams into fans at Liverpool’s Premier League title celebrations: dozens injured, male driver detained

What was meant to be a day of celebration in Liverpool nearly turned into tragedy. On Monday, a bank holiday in the UK, Arne Slot’s players boarded an open-topped bus to take the recently-won Premier League trophy on a tour on the city.

At around 6 p.m. local time (1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT) a dark gray Ford Galaxy saloon ploughed into crowds of fans as they were making their way home. The incident took place at the bottom end of Water Street. Videos posted on social media show the driver accelerating, sending one fan over the bonnet then driving erratically, zigzagging into pedestrians before the car came to a halt close to the Strand.

Man detained following Liverpool victory parade car crash

A Merseyside Police statement read: “We are currently dealing with reports of a RTC (road traffic collision) in Liverpool city centre. We were contacted at just after 6 p.m. today, Monday May, 26 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. Emergency services are currently on the scene. We will issue more updates as we have them”.

Police added that “a 53-year-old white British man from the Liverpool area” has been arrested. Temporary Deputy Chief Constable Jenny Sims later confirmed in a press conference: “We believe him to be the driver of the vehicle”.

Thousands of Liverpool fans had flooded the city streets to take part in a spectacular ten-mile parade starting at Allerton Maze to showcase the Premier League trophy - an historic, record-equalling 20th title.

At the end of the festivities, a car plowed into a group of supporters. After advancing several meters through the dense crowd, the vehicle stopped. Videos of the incident—whose cause remains unclear—have quickly gone viral on social media. Some commentators voiced concern that the driver appeared to have been deliberately targeting pedestrians.

Bank holiday in the UK

The business end of the city would have been quiet with offices closed for the May bank holiday. It is unclear if that section of the road had not been cordoned off to traffic or if the car had entered via one of the side streets. One video posted on social media showed a dark gray Ford Galaxy car on Dale Street, (which leads onto Lower Castle Street then Water Street, heading towards the Town Hall.

Everybody in Liverpool would have known about the parade. The public would be aware of the route, and that some city center roads would be blocked. How the Ford Galaxy managed to gain access to that particular part of the city center during a major event will be one of the questions asked.

A similar incident occurred just 11 days ago in Barcelona before the Catalan derby in which 17 football fans were injured. A female driver was later charged with three offences relating to the incident: one related to road safety violations, another for disobedience, and a third for reckless injury.

Emergency services and police presence on the Strand

North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) has also released a statement regarding the incident, saying: “NWAS is supporting an incident in Liverpool city centre, 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.”

An air ambulance is on the scene near the landing stage at the Pier Head with reports that 27 people people were taken to hospital with injuries - four of them children.

Liverpool FC issued a statement which read: “We are in direct contact with Merseyside Police regarding the incident on Water Street which happened towards the end of the trophy parade earlier this evening. Our thoughts and prayers are with those who 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.”

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