Police have confirmed a 53-year-old male has been arrested for attempted murder and driving under the influence of drugs after the Water Street incident.
In an update on Tuesday afternoon, Merseyside Police assistant chief constable Jenny Simms and detective chief superintendent Karen Jaundrill provided more clarity on events.
It was confirmed that 65 individuals were treated for injuries – having previously been reported as 47 – with 11 still in hospital.
Fortunately, Simms confirmed that all 11 still receiving treatment were in a stable condition and “appear to be recovering well.”
Jaundrill announced that a 53-year-old male from West Derby has now been formally arrested on suspicion of:
- Attempted murder
- Dangerous driving offences
- Driving while unfit through drugs
Simms explained the belief that the car navigated a “robust traffic management plan” by following an ambulance onto Water Street – otherwise closed to traffic – as it attended to a member of the public having a suspected heart attack.
The suspect “remains in custody where he is being interviewed.”
“Our detectives are speaking to any witnesses, including those injured, witnesses at the scene and emergency responders as we seek to get a full picture of exactly what happened,” Jaundrill explained.
“In addition, extensive CCTV enquiries are being carried out across the city to establish the movements of the car – a Ford Galaxy – before the incident took place.
“We have already had an incredible response from many of those who were there last night.
“I thank them for their cooperation and support with our investigation, and I encourage anyone who has not yet contacted the police who may have information on this incident to do so.”
Simms relayed that the investigation is still ongoing and again urged members of the public to avoid speculating on the matters of the event and refrain from sharing footage on social media.
“I want to take the opportunity to pay tribute to the brave members of the emergency services who were on the scene of yesterday’s incident within a matter of seconds,” she told a press conference.
“Following such a shocking incident, they immediately ran towards an extremely uncertain and potentially dangerous situation in an effort to protect members of the public and fellow emergency responders from harm.”
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