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TWENTY SEVEN PEOPLE have been hospitalised after a car drove into a crowd of people in Liverpool city centre during Liverpool FC’s league victory parade.
Thousands of fans had lined the streets of the city throughout the day to celebrate the football club winning the Premier League title.
Emergency services were alerted to the incident at around 6pm “following reports a car had been in collision with a number of pedestrians on Water Street”.
Police said the car was stopped at the scene, and a 53-year-old white British man from the Liverpool area was detained.
At a press conference shortly after 10.30pm, Merseyside Police Assistant Chief Constable Jenny Sims said they believe the arrested man was the driver of the vehicle.
She said that a number of people were injured in the incident and were taken to hospital, while “a large number of people of all ages” were treated at the scene, but did not require hospital treatment.
“We believe this to be an isolated incident, and we are not currently looking for anyone else in relation to it,” Sims said.
“The incident is not being treated as terrorism.”
She said that extensive inquiries are ongoing to establish the circumstances leading up to the collision, and it is vital that people do not speculate or spread misinformation on social media.
She also thanked the emergency services and members of the public “who came to the assistance of the injured following this evening’s shocking incident”.
Dave Kitchin of the North West Ambulance Service said that 20 people were treated at the scene for minor injuries and did not require hospital treatment.
He said 27 people were taken to hospital by ambulance. Two of those, including one child, sustained serious injuries.
“Sadly, four of the injured were children who were enjoying the day with their friends and their families,” Kitchin said.
“The people of Liverpool have shown many times before that you’re a strong community and you support one another,” he said.
“All of us at North West Ambulance Service share with you the frustration that this wonderful day has ended like this, and we hope that those who have been injured make a speedy recovery.”
Nick Searle, Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service chief fire officer, said crews were met with numerous injured people on arrival, with four people trapped under a vehicle.
“Our crews rapidly lifted the vehicle, removed three adults and one child from beneath and passed them to our ambulance service colleagues,” he said.
“We then worked with emergency service partners to ensure casualties received medical treatment and transport to hospital as quickly as possible.”
Searle added: “My fire crews will maintain a visible and reassuring presence in the coming days and weeks.”
In the aftermath of the incident, footage showed police cordons in place around the heavily littered road, with a large police presence, ambulances and a fire engine also at the scene.
Images captured someone being taken away on a stretcher and a man walking with his arm around a police officer for support.
A large blue tent was erected in Water Street with two fire engines parked in front.
A spokesman for Liverpool City Council said they were liaising with Merseyside Police regarding the incident.
NHS University Hospitals Liverpool Group urged members of the public to refrain from calling to ask about loved ones after the Liverpool victory parade incident.
“Following the incident in Liverpool city centre this evening, we know that many people are concerned about loved ones,” the trust said in a statement.
“Next of kin will be contacted, so please help us to manage the incident as best we can by refraining from calling our switchboard.”
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer described the scenes as “appalling” and said his thoughts were with all those injured or affected.
He thanked police and emergency services “for their swift and ongoing response” and said he was being kept updated on developments.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin said he was “saddened and shocked by the scenes at the Liverpool trophy parade. My thoughts and prayers to all those injured or impacted, and the emergency crews responding tonight.”
Tánaiste Simon Harris said that officials in the Department of Foreign Affairs were keeping him up to date on the incident.
“Our thoughts are with the people of Liverpool this evening,” he said in a post to X.
This was supposed to be a night of celebration for this city and Liverpool fans. Instead we are witnessing some devastating scenes unfold.
In a statement posted on social media, Liverpool FC said: “We are in direct contact with Merseyside Police regarding the incident on Water Street which happened towards the end of the trophy parade earlier this evening.
We are in direct contact with Merseyside Police regarding the incident on Water Street which happened towards the end of the trophy parade earlier this evening.
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) May 26, 2025
Our thoughts and prayers are with those who have been affected by this serious incident.
We will continue to offer… pic.twitter.com/xreiSqiEnL
“Our thoughts and prayers are with those who have been affected by this serious incident. We will continue to offer our full support to the emergency services and local authorities who are dealing with this incident.”
Harry Rashid, 48, from Solihull, described the car as a grey, people carrier travelling south down the street towards the Strand.
Footage of the incident, which was circulating online, appeared to show the car speed up as it veered into pedestrians on both sides of the street, passing a Hooters restaurant at one point, with people knocked to the floor off the windshield, falling to the ground and darting out of the way to avoid harm.
“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.”
He described how crowds began trying to smash the car windows, causing the driver to stall for about 10 seconds, before putting his foot down again and hitting more people.
“It was horrible,” the witness said. “And you could hear the bumps as he was going over the people.
I saw people lying on the ground, people unconscious. It was horrendous. So horrendous.
Another witness, Mike Maddra, said he saw the car mount the pavement and described the vehicle being chased by a group of men, telling BBC News how they tried to bang its side and launch objects at it.
“The back of the rear windshield had been completely smashed in, but it just had no intention of stopping,” he said.
He also described how police officers exited a “squad” of armed police vehicles with rifles and medical packs and began running to the scene.
Liverpool FC held an open-top bus parade to celebrate its Premier League triumph, with fans lining the streets along the 10-mile route.
Liverpool city councillor John Hughes estimated in excess of one million people were attending.
With reporting from Jane Moore
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