The driver suspected of attempted murder for plowing into a crowd of Liverpool soccer fans celebrating their team’s Premier League championship was ordered held an additional day for questioning, police said Wednesday.
Seven people remained hospitalized in stable condition, as the number of wounded increased to nearly 80 people, Merseyside Police said. That number has nearly doubled since Monday as police learned of additional injuries.
The city had been celebrating Liverpool’s record-tying 20th title when the driver turned down a street that was closed to traffic and rammed into a sea of fans, transforming a day of joy into a catastrophe.
Police said the 53-year-old British man in custody is also suspected of being high on drugs and driving dangerously. They believe he dodged a roadblock by following an ambulance that was rushing to treat someone of a suspected heart attack.
ADVERTISEMENT
The driver has not been identified, which is typical in Britain when a suspect has not been charged with a crime.
Police had to get an extension to hold the man longer than 48 hours and will have to either charge him with a crime by Thursday evening or set him free.
A video on social media appeared to show a gray minivan strike at least one pedestrian and then veer into a larger crowd of people, carving a path through the group and pushing bodies along the street like a plow before coming to a stop.
Harry Rashid, who was at the parade with his wife and two young daughters, said the car began ramming people about 10 feet (3 meters) away from him.
“It was extremely fast,” Rashid said. “Initially, we just heard the pop, pop, pop of people just being knocked off the bonnet of a car.”
Rashid said after the car struck its initial victims, it came to a halt and the crowd charged the 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 and he was in shock and disbelief.
“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.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Get more from English Premier League Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
