Liverpool Parade: Vehicles attack people during Liverpool celebration
The man was taken into custody after a car struck many fans during a Liverpool parade to celebrate the success of the Premier League title, police said.
The vehicle was arrested on May 26 after several people were hit by a parade celebrating the Liverpool Football Club’s Premier League title, British authorities said.
Authorities said “pedestrian count” was hit after the team’s open-top coach carried players and coaching staff through Liverpool in England for the victory parade. Merseyside police said a “53-year-old white British man from the Liverpool area” was arrested after crash.
“A wide range of investigations are underway to establish the situation leading up to the conflict,” police said in a statement posted to X. Authorities have asked people not to speculate on the circumstances leading up to the incident in Liverpool’s city centre.
The social media video appeared to show the car driving at speed to the street-lined fans, at one point, appearing to be moving away from the most crowded areas. Police soon surround the vehicle, with other videos showing an angry fan trying to reach the driver.
The number of people injured in the crash was not immediately known.
“People were running and screaming.”
Police previously said a car near a parade of British professional soccer teams collided with a pedestrian in the evening after 6pm local time. The vehicle was stopped at the scene and the man was taken into custody.
British Prime Minister Kiel Starmer said he is up to date with Liverpool’s development.
“The Liverpool scene is horrifying. My thoughts are with all the people injured or affected,” he said in a post on X.
Interior Secretary Yvette Cooper praised police and emergency services for “their quick response to truly shocking and horrifying scenes.”
Sonny Singh, who was celebrating with his two sons, told the Guardian that he saw an injured teenager and dozens of people passing by him “crying and angry” shortly after the crash.
“People were running, screaming… I saw a boy when I was probably around 15. He was bleeding with his legs. There were a lot of people there,” he told the news outlet.
A tragedy-damaged sport celebration
Liverpool sealed the title in four games last month, ending the season with a 10-point lead over second-place Arsenal in the English Premier League, England’s top tier professional soccer league.
Liverpool officially lifted the league trophy after a 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace at Anfield on Sunday.
During the celebration before Monday, players and staff waved to the crowd from the open-top bus with the words “ours.” Red flares illuminated along the route and were decorated on the sides as they ran from the Allerton maze to Brandel Street.
In a statement posted to X, the Liverpool Football Club said it was in direct contact with local police about the incident that took place towards the end of the trophy parade.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with those affected by this serious incident,” the club’s statement said. “We will continue to provide full support to emergency services and local governments dealing with this incident.”
The May 26th incident is the latest in a series of sports celebrations that have been undermined by tragedy. In the US, two people were shot at the Philadelphia Eagles Super Bowl Parade in February. And in 2024, shootings at the Kansas City Chiefs’ Championship Parade killed his mother and injured 20 people.
Contributed by: USA Today, Charles Ventura; Reuters
(This story has been updated to add new information.)
