Car Drives Into Crowd at Liverpool Trophy Parade

In partnership with

Sports Illustrated FC

·27 May 2025

Car Drives Into Crowd at Liverpool Trophy Parade

A car drove at speed into a crowd of Liverpool fans during the club’s Premier League trophy parade on Monday, injuring almost 50 and hospitalising 27, police have revealed.

Liverpool FC had organised a day of celebration to mark the club’s top-flight triumph, scheduling an open-top bus to make a loop of the city after sealing a record-equalling 20th league title. Towards the end of the circuit, at around 6 p.m. local time, Merseyside police received reports that “a car had been in collision with a number of pedestrians on Water Street in Liverpool city centre,” a statement from Assistant Chief Constable Jenny Sims revealed.

OneFootball Videos

“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.”

Police have dismissed the suggestion that this was an act of terrorism.

One eye witness—Les Winsper, 55—told The Guardian: “People started banging on the [car] windows. Then they smashed the windows and he’s panicked and put his foot down. He then hit someone and that person has gone in the air and he’s ploughed through the rest of them. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Chief Fire Officer of Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service confirmed that at one point four people, including one child, were trapped under the car.

Off-duty BBC reporter Matt Cole was at the parade with his family when the car missed him “by literally inches”. “There were screams ahead of us and suddenly this dark blue car just came through the crowd,” he told the BBC. “It just wasn't stopping—I managed to grab my daughter who was with me and jump out of the way.”

Cole described how an ambulance blocking its path “slowed the car down”, adding that it had “no intention - it appeared - of stopping” while doing speeds of between 20 and 30 mph.

Late on Monday evening, David Kitchin of the North West Ambulance Service provided some figures for the number of victims. “We can confirm that our teams treated 20 patients at the scene for minor injuries, and these did not need hospital treatment,” he revealed. “27 patients in total were taken to hospital by ambulance, and we believe two of those, including one of the children, have sustained serious injuries.”

Liverpool City Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram provided another update on Tuesday morning, telling BBC Radio 5 Live that they are “still four people who are very, very ill in hospital”.

Former Liverpool player and manager Kenny Dalglish was stood alongside Jürgen Klopp atop a flat on Mann Island waving at fans before the mayhem ensued. The club icon was “shocked, horrified and deeply saddened” by events, adding, “Our anthem has never felt more appropriate, ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone.’ Your Liverpool family are behind you.”