A man has been detained after a car collided with pedestrians in Liverpool city centre after Liverpool FC’s Premier League victory parade.
Emergency services descended on Water Street after Merseyside police were contacted just after 6pm on Monday with reports of the incident.
The car was stopped at the scene and a man was detained. Merseyside police later confirmed the man was a 53-year-old British man from the Liverpool area.
“Extensive enquiries are ongoing to establish the circumstances leading up to the collision,” the force said.
The Guardian understands the investigation, at this stage, is being led by Merseyside police, who are being supported by the North West counter-terrorism unit. The involvement of counter-terrorism officers in the early stages of the investigation is a precaution, as detectives try to establish any motive behind the collision.
Footage showed police cordons in place around the heavily littered road, with a large police presence, ambulances and a fire engine also at the scene.
People were injured in the incident, with images capturing someone being taken away on a stretcher and a man walking with his arm around a police officer for support.
Footage showed police cordons in place around the heavily littered road, with a large police presence, ambulances and a fire engine also at the scene.
Liverpool FC held an open-top bus parade to celebrate its Premier League triumph, with fans lining the streets along the 10-mile route.
The collision came just after roads were reopened after the main parade had finished, the Guardian understands.
Harry Rashid, 48, from Solihull, was at the parade with his wife and two young daughters when he witnessed the collision.
He told PA Media: “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 extremely fast. Initially, we just heard the pop, pop, pop of people just being knocked off the bonnet of a car.
Rashid described how crowds began trying to smash the car windows: “Then 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.
“I just wanted my kids to get off the road regardless because I couldn’t trust whether there’s a follow up attack or something like that. Because you are just exposed there on the pavement.
“I saw people lying on the ground, people unconscious. It was horrendous. So horrendous.”
Natasha Rinaldi, who was watching the parade from her friend’s living room, told Sky News: “It was so loud. People sounded desperate. And then we looked out the window and we saw the car (had) run over people.
“Then people started rushing to go after the driver and they tried to break the car. The police did everything to block and to push people away. We could just hear screams and screams. We were very confused.”
The prime minister, Keir Starmer, and the home secretary, Yvette Cooper, are being kept updated about events, the PA news agency reported.
Starmer said: “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.
“I’m being kept updated on developments and ask that we give the police the space they need to investigate.”
A spokesperson for the North West ambulance service said: “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.”
More details soon …
