A 53-year-old British man who injured 65 people when his car rammed into a crowd of Liverpool football fans celebrating their team’s Premier League championship was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder, police said Tuesday.
The driver was also being held on suspicion of dangerous driving and driving on drugs, Detective Chief Superintendent Karen Jaundrill said.
The incident late Monday afternoon turned a jubilant parade into a tragedy that sent 50 people to hospitals for treatment of their injuries. Eleven remained hospitalized Tuesday in stable condition.
The wounded included four children, one of whom had been trapped beneath the vehicle with three adults.
Police had closed off much of the area to traffic, but the driver is believed to have maneuvered around a roadblock by following an ambulance that was rushing to treat a person suspected of having a heart attack, Assistant Chief Constable Jenny Sims said.
Merseyside Police said they were not treating the incident as terrorism and were not looking for other suspects. The force has not identified the arrested driver. Police in Britain usually do not name suspects until they are charged.
Detectives were still working to piece together why the minivan plowed into crowds packing a narrow street just after the players of Liverpool Football Club had celebrated its championship with an open-topped bus parade.
The incident cast a shadow over a city that has suffered twin tragedies linked to the football team and led to widespread expressions of shock, sadness and support.
"It is truly devastating to see that what should have been a joyous celebration for many could end in such distressing circumstances," King Charles III said in a statement while on a visit to Canada. "I know that the strength of community spirit for which your city is renowned will be a comfort and support to those in need."
Water Street, near the River Mersey in the heart of the city, was cordoned off by police tape, and a blue tent had been erected on the road strewn with the detritus of celebration, including bottles, cans and Liverpool flags.
Teams of officers wearing white forensic suits scoured the damp streets for evidence and snapped photos of clothing and other items left behind as people fled the chaotic scene.
Hundreds of thousands of Liverpudlians had crammed the streets of the port city in northwest England on Monday to celebrate the team winning England’s Premier League this season for a record-tying 20th top-flight title.
As the parade was wrapping up, a minivan turned down a cordoned-off street just off the parade route and plowed into the sea of fans wrapped in their red Liverpool scarves, jerseys and other memorabilia. A video on social media showed the van strike a man, tossing him in the air, before veering into a larger crowd, where it plowed a path through the group and pushed bodies along the street before coming to a stop.
"It was extremely fast," said Harry Rashid, who was with his wife and two young daughters as the minivan passed by them. "Initially, we just heard the pop, pop, pop of people just being knocked off the bonnet of a car."
Rashid said the crowd charged the halted vehicle and began smashing 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. And you could hear the bumps as he was going over the people."
Police quickly identified the suspect as a white local man to prevent misinformation from flooding social media, Liverpool City Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram said.
Rotheram said police acted appropriately to tamp down online speculation about the person responsible as false rumors spread rapidly online of there being another incident.
"Social media is a cesspit," he said, referring to the conjecture and misinformation. "It was designed to inflame. It was designed to divide. The message of hate doesn’t go down well here."
Last summer, a teen in the nearby town of Southport killed three girls in a stabbing rampage at a dance class and wounded 10 others, including two adults. An incorrect name of the suspect was spread on social media and people said he was an asylum-seeker. In fact, he had been born in the UK. Rioting spread across England and Northern Ireland, targeting Muslims and refugees in hotels for asylum-seekers, lasting about a week.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he was appalled by the tragedy as he hailed the bravery of rescuers and said the country's thoughts were with the city and its people.
"Scenes of joy turned to utter horror and devastation," Starmer said Tuesday. "Liverpool stands together and the whole country stands with Liverpool."
The storied franchise has been associated with two of the biggest tragedies in professional soccer.
Its fans were largely blamed for the 1985 disaster at Heysel stadium in Belgium when 39 people, mostly supporters of Italian team Juventus, died when Liverpool backers surged into the rival’s stand.
Four years later, a crush at Hillsborough stadium in Sheffield led to the deaths of 97 Liverpool fans.
