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A 53-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after a car collided with crowds at Liverpool Football Club’s Premier League victory parade on Monday evening, Merseyside Police have said.
Detective chief superintendent Karen Jaundrill said on Tuesday that the man from West Derby had also been arrested for dangerous driving and driving while unfit through drugs.
The people carrier then struck pedestrians in the city centre at around 6pm resulting in 65 casualties, with many people requiring hospital treatment.
Assistant chief constable Jenny Sims said: “It is believed the driver of the Ford Galaxy car involved in this incident was able to follow an ambulance on to Water Street after the roadblock was temporarily lifted, so that the ambulance crew could attend to a member of the public who was having a suspected heart attack.”
Speaking at a press conference, she confirmed that the police were “aware of 50 people who were treated at hospital for ongoing treatment”.
She said 11 people remained in hospital in a “stable condition” and “recovering well”.
Simms added that a “robust” traffic management plan was in place for the event, with road closures in place throughout the parade route for local traffic.
Police restated that the incident was not being treated as terrorism and urged the public not to share distressing content online or speculate about motivations behind the incident.
CCTV inquiries are now being made to track the movements of the Ford Galaxy leading up to the incident.
The collision took place as the event was drawing to a close, with Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service saying they found four people trapped under the vehicle, including one child.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper is visiting Liverpool city centre on Tuesday evening, viewing the police cordon and meeting emergency personnel.
The Prince and Princess of Wales earlier said their thoughts were “those who were injured” and “first responders and emergency services”.
“We are deeply saddened by the scenes in Liverpool yesterday. What should have been a joyful celebration ended in tragedy,” the statement added.
Buckingham Palace said in a statement that King Charles and Queen Camilla were “deeply shocked and saddened to hear of the terrible events” that took place.
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