Liverpool celebrated its record-tying 20th Premier League title with a parade on Monday, but the celebration turned into chaos late in the day when a car collided with pedestrians.
The incident occurred past 6 p.m. local time in Liverpool, which was bathed in red as fans celebrated the club’s first Premier League title in five years.
“A number of pedestrians” were hit by the vehicle, according to police, with 27 taken to hospital by ambulance and nearly fifty hurt in total. Four of the injured were children, and one, along with an adult, sustained serious injuries. Fire crews rescued four people, including a child, from underneath the vehicle.
Police said a 53-year-old white British man from the Liverpool area had been arrested and was believed to be the driver of the vehicle. The force said no other suspects were being sought and that the incident was not being treated as terrorism.
It was confirmed a day later that the suspect is being held on suspicion of attempted murder, dangerous driving offences and driving while unfit through drugs.
Here are the latest updates on the incident and what we know about what has happened.
Liverpool parade car crash updates
This section will be updated.
Local police reported Monday that a man was detained after he collided with “a number of pedestrians” on Water Street, near Liverpool’s Premier League trophy parade.
Here was the initial statement from Merseyside police:
We are currently dealing with reports of a road traffic collision in Liverpool city centre.
We were contacted at just after 18:00 today, following reports a car had been in collision with a number of pedestrians on Water Street.
The car stopped at the scene and a male has been detained.
Emergency services are currently on the scene.
BBC’s Warren Moran reported seeing “at least three injured” who were taken away from the scene. A helicopter also landed near the scene to assist with evacuating potentially injured pedestrians. Emergency services later confirmed that 27 people had been taken to hospital by ambulance, with “a large number” treated at the sccene.
Police released the following statement after the scene came under control, revealing the detained man is 53 years old and from the area:
We would ask people not to speculate on the circumstances surrounding tonight’s incident on Water Street in Liverpool city centre.
We can confirm the man arrested is a 53-year-old white British man from the Liverpool area.
Extensive enquiries are ongoing to establish the circumstances leading up to the collision.
U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer released a statement following the news, calling the situation “appalling” and thanking emergency services for handling the scene.
The scenes in Liverpool are appalling — my thoughts are with all those injured or affected.
I want to thank the police and emergency services for their swift and ongoing response to this shocking incident.
I’m being kept updated on developments and ask that we give the police…
— Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) May 26, 2025
Liverpool FC, meanwhile, released a statement saying the club is in contact with local authorities.
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.
Our thoughts and prayers are with those who have been affected by this serious incident.
We will continue to offer… pic.twitter.com/xreiSqiEnL
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) May 26, 2025
As of Monday evening in Liverpool, police had blocked off a large section of Liverpool City Centre.
Merseyside Police’s Assistant Chief Constable Jenny Sims, David Kitchen of the North West Ambulance Service, and Chief Fire Officer of Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service Nick Searle held a joint press conference to provide updates at around 10:45 p.m. local time.
Sims confirmed that 27 people, including four children, were taken to hospital by ambulance. Two of those people had sustained serious injuries, she said.
In addition, “a large number of people were treated at the scene but did not require hospital treatment” and others are believed to have taken themselves to hospital after the incident, Sims said.
She confirmed: “The car stopped at the scene and a 53-year-old white British man from the Liverpool area was arrested. We believe him to be the driver of the vehicle.
“It is vital people do not speculate and spread misinformation on social media. We believe this to be an isolated incident and we are not currently looking for anyone else in relation to it. The incident is not being treated as terrorism.”
Searle said fire crews had rescued four people, including a child, from under the car.
On May 27, police confirmed the suspect was being detained on suspicion of attempted murder, dangerous driving offences and driving while unfit through drugs.
Liverpool car crash video
A handful of pedestrians caught the collision on video during the parade. Here is one of those clips, though viewer discretion is advised for graphic content.
Liverpool parade car
The car appeared to be a gray minivan, partially seen below as police officers attempted to stop the vehicle.
Bravery is not the absence of fear
Bravery is being afraid and choosing to move forward despite of itOfficers move forward and swarm a car driving into pedestrians in Liverpool.
Honour before all things except integrity 🫡 pic.twitter.com/R680ScK9MK
— FireNFury (@chaos6esu) May 26, 2025
Liverpool crash suspect
Merseyside police announced the arrest of a 53-year-old white British man from the Liverpool area. The man’s name has not yet been disclosed, but police did confirm at a press conference that he was believed to be the driver of the vehicle. He was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder, police revealed.
Merseyside Police’s Assistant Chief Constable Jenny Sims said: “We believe this to be an isolated incident and we are not currently looking for anyone else in relation to it. The incident is not being treated as terrorism.”
Liverpool parade deaths
Police confirmed that, as of around 11 p.m. local time, no fatalities had been recorded. However, they did state that 27 people had been taken to hospital by ambulance and two of those had sustained serious injuries.
Liverpool parade attendance
While the exact total is unknown, ITV News reported “hundreds of thousands” were in attendance for Liverpool’s trophy parade. The parade effectively brought the heart of the city to a standstill as fans celebrated, with excitement particularly palpable because Liverpool’s most recent Premier League title had come when large gatherings were discouraged during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The parade had ended by the time of the crash, but thousands of fans were still on the streets of Liverpool celebrating.
