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A day of celebration dissolved into chaos and horror in Liverpool on Monday evening as a car plowed into a crowd gathered for the Premier League victory parade, injuring approximately 50 people, including four children. One child sustained serious injuries in what authorities are calling a "horrific incident."
Merseyside Police have arrested 53-year-old John Smith (a placeholder name for this hypothetical scenario), a white British man from the Liverpool area, believed to be the driver. While the investigation is ongoing, authorities have stated the incident is not being treated as terrorism and is believed to be isolated. Smith's full history and intentions have not yet been released as the investigation continues.
Had early reports suggested the driver was an immigrant or identified as Muslim, public discourse and initial media speculation would likely have immediately shifted to questions of terrorism, with some commentators quick to label the attack as such, even in the absence of confirmed motives or affiliations.
Eyewitness accounts and videos circulating online depict a harrowing scene. The car was seen speeding up as it veered into pedestrians on Water Street, a densely packed area along the parade route. Witnesses described people banging on the car windows and attempting to stop the driver. After the car stopped, some members of the crowd tried to smash the windows.
Emergency services swiftly responded to the scene, with 27 people taken to the hospital and another 20 treated at the scene for injuries. Firefighters rescued four people, including a child, who were trapped under the vehicle.
The incident occurred shortly after 6 PM local time, about a mile before the parade's finishing point, after the Liverpool team bus had already passed through the area.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer expressed his shock at the "appalling scenes" and offered his thoughts to those injured and affected.
Merseyside Police have urged the public not to speculate on the circumstances surrounding the incident and have asked for any footage or information to be shared directly with them.
A local resident told a Daily Dazzling Dawn reporter, 'If the attacker is Muslim or an immigrant, some media will start saying it's a terrorist attack.
