Driver arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after Liverpool soccer
parade tragedy
[May 28, 2025]
By KWIYEON HA and BRIAN MELLEY
LIVERPOOL, England (AP) — A 53-year-old British man who injured 65
people when his car rammed into a crowd of Liverpool soccer 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.
Driver dodged road block
Police had closed off much of the area to traffic, but the driver is
believed to have maneuvered around a road block 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 soccer 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."
Crime scene scoured for evidence
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.
[to top of second column]
|
A Forensic officer looks at evidence near the site where 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 in Liverpool,
England, Tuesday, May 27, 2025.(AP Photo/Jon Super)
“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.”
Suspect partly identified to stop rumor mill
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 U.K. Rioting spread across England and Northern
Ireland, targeting Muslims and refugees in hotels for
asylum-seekers, lasting about a week.
Liverpool soccer legacy tainted by tragedy
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.
___
Melley reported from London. Associated Press writer Jill Lawless
contributed to this report.
All contents © copyright 2025 Associated Press. All rights reserved |
