Solihull family witness Liverpool FC victory parade horror

A man who was at Liverpool FC’s victory parade has described his horror as he saw people being hit by a car just yards away from his family.

The vehicle hit pedestrians in Liverpool city centre during the Premier League victory parade on Monday, resulting in 27 people being taken to hospital, with two seriously injured.

Police said a 53-year-old white British man from the Liverpool area had been arrested, adding he was believed to be the driver.

“There were people crying around us, there were people screaming, it just didn’t seem real,” said Harry Rashid, from Solihull, who was there with his wife and three daughters.

Merseyside Police said a number of pedestrians were hit by the vehicle on Water Street just after 18:00 BST.

Mr Rashid said the car struck pedestrians ten yards from where he and his family stood in the crowd gathered to watch the parade.

“There were people lying on the ground, one of them was crumpled over,” he said.

“It was horrible.”

Mr Rashid said he saw the vehicle “surge forward” and strike multiple pedestrians.

He added some in the crowd had tried to force the car’s door open and get the driver out.

“I was just hoping that somehow it [would] just stop,” Mr Rashid said.

“There were kids [there], my own kids were there, and we had nowhere to go. We were all just stuck amongst this crowd. We were all just pressed against each other.”

His first feelings were of confusion, he said, adding: “Where do you get away, where do you go?

“The other worry was: ‘Is this guy by himself? Is there someone else?'”

Police say they are not treating the incident as terror-related.

The ambulance service said 27 people were taken to hospital and 20 others were treated for injuries at the scene. One of the two seriously injured people is a child.

“I really wish the best for everyone who has loved ones who’ve been injured,” said Mr Rashid, who has 25-year-old twin daughters and a third daughter aged 14.

“We’re the fortunate ones – we’ve just got the emotional trauma.”