ARTICLE AD BOX
Police have “a lot of questions to answer” after a car is believed to have tailgated an ambulance through a roadblock at Liverpool FC’s Premier League victory parade and ploughed into a crowd of fans, injuring 65 people.
A top security expert has warned the horrifying incident should never have happened as officials faced tough questions about safety measures at Monday’s event, which saw up to one million fans flock to the city’s streets.
A 53-year-old man arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and drug driving was still being quizzed by police on Tuesday night as police scoured CCTV to work out how the car was able to breach road closures.
Eleven people remain in hospital after a Ford Galaxy struck fans on Water Street, off the main parade route on The Strand, at around 6pm, leaving some trapped under the vehicle.
Merseyside Police assistant chief constable Jenny Sims said there was a roadblock in place but it was temporarily lifted for an ambulance to reach a man suffering a suspected heart attack.
The people carrier is believed to have followed it inside the perimeter and onto the packed street as fans made their way to catch trains, buses and taxis home.
A security expert said the horrifying incident “could easily have been prevented” as he questioned why enhanced measures, such as anti-vehicle security barriers, were not in place.
The road is understood to have been blocked by a flat-bed truck as part of council-run rolling road closures.
Lee Doddridge, who has trained the UK's counter terrorism security advisors at National Counter Terrorism Security Office (NaCTSO) and planned major events including the Ryder Cup in Wales in 2010, told The Independent: “It could have easily been prevented.
“Regardless of the circumstances, the vehicle shouldn’t have been anywhere within that cordon.”
He said Merseyside Police have “a lot of questions to answer” over the incident, which is not being treated as terror-related.
The force has said there were “robust” traffic management measures in place for the parade. However, Mr Doddridge added: “Merseyside Police commented that they had a well-managed traffic plan, but clearly it wasn’t that well planned because a vehicle was able to get so close.”
“Clearly, they deployed the wrong tactics,” he added. “They had police snipers on the rooftops, but you wouldn’t have taken a shot into a crowd of tens of thousands of people, plus the area was covered in smoke from fireworks and flares.
“What they should have been doing was making sure that the area was safe for people to gather.”
Liverpool City Council confirmed the road was closed to vehicles under a rolling road block, and ‘Hostile Vehicle Mitigation measures’ were in place.
Liverpool City Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram also demanded answers to “legitimate” questions about how the car was able to enter the area.
Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, AC Sims defended the policing operation during the 10-mile parade, saying they had planned for "all contingencies" - including road closures and an armed police presence.
She added: "There was no intelligence to suggest an incident of this nature would take place."
There have so far been 65 confirmed casualties, and officers are trying to identify others. Within hours of the crash, police revealed the suspect was a white British man from West Derby in Liverpool, in a move that has been described as a “complete step change” from the response to the Southport attack, as police worked quickly to quash online disinformation about their identity.
Det Chf Supt Jaundrill added: “Our detectives are speaking to many witnesses, including those injured, witnesses at the scene and emergency responders, as we seek to get a full picture of exactly what happened.
“In addition, extensive CCTV inquiries are being carried out across the city to establish the movements of the car before the incident took place.”
Traumatised witness Natasha Rimaldi, 31, was watching the parade from her friend’s flat on Water Street, Liverpool, when she heard “desperate screams” from below.
“We rushed over to the window and saw injured people all over the floor,” she told The Independent.
“We heard so many screams. I will never forget seeing a woman stuck under the car. It was so distressing. She was the last person to be rescued.”
Ms Rinaldi, a Liverpool FC fan for 12 years, said the collision, which injured 65 people, including four children, had “destroyed” what was supposed to be a “very happy day”.
“The first thing I thought was how did the driver get in,” she added. “The roads were blocked; it was hard even to get inside as someone walking. I just don’t understand how the car ended up there.
“A group of people were trying to break into the driver’s car and were shouting ‘get him!’ It was so shocking and took us a while to understand what had happened.”
Donna Skeldon, 51, and her partner Chris Wilson, 52, from the Isle of Wight, fled into a side street in terror as the car ploughed through the crowd.
"I was just running in a panic," she said. "We weren't sure what was happening, but when you see so many people running, you just run for your life because you don't know what's happening.”
Sir Keir Starmer said the whole country “stands with Liverpool” as he paid tribute to victims and first responders, adding that “scenes of joy turned to utter horror and devastation”.
Princess Anne visited the Royal Liverpool University Hospital, where 11 people remain in a stable condition. Staff who treated the wounded said they were "very, very fortunate" that there were no more injuries.
Consultant Jay Rathore said: "Most of the injuries were limb injuries. No life-threatening, we were able to manage them."
English (US) ·