Liverpool fans lined streets to watch the team move through the city centre with the Premier League trophy, but chaos unfolded with one witness describing a ‘pop, pop, pop’ noise
Dozens of people – including four children – were injured when a car drove into crowds of Liverpool fans celebrating the club’s recent Premier League title.
With many enjoying a bank holiday, up to one million supporters lined the streets to cheer on the team as they paraded through the city centre on an open-top bus carrying the Premier League trophy.
The celebration began at Allerton Maze, south of the city, and followed a 10-mile route over three and a half hours, concluding with a final stop on the Strand in the city centre. However, chaos broke out on Water Street shortly after 6pm, about a mile before the parade’s end.
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Witnesses reported that shortly after the bus passed by, a vehicle suddenly crashed into the crowd. Disturbing footage shows the car accelerating as it swerved into pedestrians on both sides of the road. People were thrown to the ground, some knocked off their feet by the impact, and others scrambled to get out of the way.
A 53-year-old white British man from the Liverpool area was arrested, Merseyside Police confirmed.
Harry Rashid, 48, from Solihull, was at the parade with his wife and two young daughters when he witnessed the collision. “It happened about 10 feet away from us… The vehicle came to our right. It emerged from just right next to an ambulance, which was parked up. This grey people carrier just pulled up from the right and just rammed into all the people at the side of us.
“It was travelling south, down Water Street, straight towards the Strand, which is where the docks are. It was extremely fast. Initially, we just heard the pop, pop, pop of people just being knocked off the bonnet of a car.”
Describing how crowds began trying to smash the car windows, he said: “He stalled for a few seconds, probably about 10 seconds. Then the crowd that was a bit further back started rushing at him trying to smash his windows.
“But then he put his foot down again and just ploughed through the rest of them, he just kept going. It was horrible. And you could hear the bumps as he was going over the people. Then my daughter started screaming and there were people on the ground. It looked clearly deliberate.”
He added: “I saw people lying on the ground, people unconscious. It was horrendous. So horrendous.”
Merseyside Police confirmed a 53-year-old white British man, from the Liverpool area, was arrested. They said they believe he was the driver of the car.
At a press conference, Merseyside Police Assistant Chief Constable Jenny Sims said the “horrific incident” was not being treated as terrorism. She added: “The car stopped at the scene and a 53-year-old white, British man from the Liverpool area was arrested.
“We believe him to be the driver of the vehicle. Extensive inquiries 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.
“I know that people will understandably be concerned by what has happened tonight. What I can tell you is that we believe this to be an isolated incident, and we are not currently looking for anyone else in relation to it. The incident is not being treated as terrorism.”