Dozens injured after minivan plows into crowd of celebrating Liverpool soccer fans

The Associated Press

· Posted: May 26, 2025 4:08 PM EDT | Last Updated: 41 minutes ago

A 53-year-old British antheral plowed his minivan into a assemblage of Liverpool shot fans astatine a parade celebrating the metropolis team's Premier League title connected Monday, arsenic shouts of joyousness turned into shrieks of terror, injuring much than 45 people.

The operator arrested was believed to beryllium the lone 1 progressive successful the incidental and it was not being investigated arsenic an enactment of terrorism, constabulary said.

"We judge this to beryllium an isolated incidental and we are not presently looking for anyone other successful narration to it," Merseyside constabulary Assistant Chief Const. Jenny Sims told media astatine an evening news conference.

Dave Kitchin of North West Air Ambulance said 27 radical were taken to the hospital, with 2 suffering superior injuries, and different 20 radical were treated astatine the country for insignificant injuries. At slightest 4 children were injured.

Firefighters had to assistance the conveyance to escaped 4 victims trapped beneath it. One of those injured was a medic who had been connected work connected a bicycle.

'It was highly fast': witness

"It was highly fast," said Harry Rashid, who was astatine the parade with his woman and 2 young daughters and was just several feet distant from the vehicle when the incidental happened. "Initially, we conscionable heard the pop, pop, popular of radical conscionable being knocked disconnected the bonnet of a car."

Rashid said the assemblage charged the halted conveyance and began smashing windows.

"But past helium enactment his ft down again and conscionable plowed done the remainder of them, helium conscionable kept going," Rashid said. "It was horrible. And you could perceive the bumps arsenic helium was going implicit the people.

Rashid said it looked deliberate.

"My girl started screaming and determination were radical connected the ground," helium said. "They were conscionable guiltless people, conscionable fans going to bask the parade."

Tens of thousands of Liverpool fans had travel out to observe the squad winning the Premier League this play for a record-tying 20th top-flight title.

Merseyside constabulary said they were trying to found what led to the incidental and asked radical not to speculate oregon stock "distressing contented online."

'A car flew past me'

Peter Jones, who had travelled from Isle of Man, said helium heard the car smash into the assemblage and saw astatine slightest a half-dozen radical down.

"We heard a frantic beeping ahead, a car flew past maine and my mate, radical were chasing it and trying to halt him, windows smashed astatine the back," Jones said. "He past drove into people, constabulary and medics ran past us, and radical were being treated connected the broadside of the road."

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer called the scenes appalling and said helium was being updated connected the situation.

Liverpool's past league rubric came successful 2020, but supporters were denied the accidental to publically observe that trophy owed to COVID-19 restrictions successful spot astatine the time.

This time, scarf-and-flag-waving fans braved bedewed upwind to enactment the streets and ascent up postulation lights to get a presumption of Liverpool's players who were atop 2 buses bearing the words "Ours Again."

The hours-long procession — surrounded by a heavy furniture of constabulary and information — crawled on a 16-kilometre route and done a oversea of reddish fume and rain. Fireworks exploded from the Royal Liver Building successful the bosom of the city.

The squad in a abbreviated connection said its thoughts and prayers were with those affected. The Premier League issued a akin connection expressing daze astatine the "appalling events successful Liverpool."