Police say driver who plowed into Liverpool soccer fans acted alone, not
believed to be terrorism
[May 27, 2025]
By BRIAN MELLEY and STEVE DOUGLAS
LONDON (AP) — A 53-year-old British man plowed a minivan into a crowd of
Liverpool soccer fans who were celebrating the city’s Premier League
championship Monday, injuring more than 45 people as shouts of joy
turned into shrieks of terror.
The driver arrested was believed to be the only one involved and the
crash was not being investigated as an act of terrorism, police said.
Ambulances took 27 people to the hospital, including two with serious
injuries, and another 20 people were treated at the scene for minor
injuries, said Dave Kitchin of North West Ambulance Service. At least
four children were injured.
Four of the victims, including a child, were trapped under the van and
firefighters had to lift the vehicle to free them. A paramedic on a
bicycle was also struck but was not injured.
“It has cast a very dark shadow over what had been a joyous day for the
city," City Council leader Liam Robinson said at a late night news
conference.
As the parade was wrapping up, a gray minivan turned onto 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.”
Rashid said it looked deliberate.
“My daughter started screaming, and there were people on the ground,” he
said. “They were just innocent people, just fans going to enjoy the
parade.”
Liverpool fans had come out in the hundreds of thousands to celebrate
the team winning the Premier League this season for a record-tying 20th
top-flight title.
Peter Jones, who had traveled from Isle of Man, said he heard the car
smash into the crowd and saw at least a half-dozen people down.
“We heard a frantic beeping ahead, a car flew past me and my mate,
people were chasing it and trying to stop him, windows smashed at the
back," Jones said. “He then drove into people, police and medics ran
past us, and people were being treated on the side of the road.”
Police said they were conducting extensive inquiries to establish what
led to the collision and asked people not to speculate or share
“distressing content online.”
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Police and emergency personnel deal with an incident on Water Street
near the Liver Building in Liverpool after a car collided with
pedestrians during the Premier League winners parade, in Liverpool,
England, Monday May 26, 2025. (Danny Lawson/PA via AP)
Police identified the suspect as white, in a possible decision to
prevent misinformation from flooding social media.
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 U.K. Rioting spread across England and Northern
Ireland, targeting Muslims and refugees in hotels of asylum seekers
and lasted about a week.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer called the scenes appalling and hailed
the bravery of rescuers.
“Everyone, especially children, should be able to celebrate their
heroes without this horror," Starmer said. “The city has a long and
proud history of coming together through difficult times. Liverpool
stands together and the whole country stands with Liverpool.”
Liverpool Football Club's legacy is overshadowed by a disaster 36
years ago when 97 of its fans were killed in a stadium crush during
a match against Nottingham Forest at Hillsborough Stadium in
Sheffield. The tragedy was compounded by a coverup into the cause
and missteps by police.
Supporters were denied the chance to publicly celebrate the club's
last league title in 2020 due to restrictions in place during the
COVID-19 pandemic.
This time, flag-waving fans braved wet weather to line the streets
and climb up traffic lights for a view of Liverpool’s players, who
were atop two buses bearing the words “Ours Again.”
The hourslong procession — surrounded by a heavy police presence —
crawled along a 10-mile (16-kilometer) route and through a sea of
red smoke and rain. Fireworks exploded from the Royal Liver Building
in the heart of the city.
The team in a short statement said its thoughts and prayers were
with those affected. The Premier League issued a similar statement
expressing shock at the “appalling events in Liverpool.”
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Associated Press writer Jill Lawless in London contributed to this
report.
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