A vehicle slams into a group of reveling Liverpool supporters, leaving 45 individuals hurt.
In Liverpool on May 27, 2025, a minivan plowed into a crowd of soccer fans celebrating the city's Premier League championship, resulting in over 45 injuries. A 53-year-old white British man was arrested as the only suspect in the incident, which the police declared was not an act of terrorism.
The disturbing event took place on a day meant for joy, as tens of thousands of fans addressed the streets to celebrate the team's record-tying 20th top-flight title. Among the injured were several children, and as many as 27 people were taken to the hospital, with two suffering serious injuries.
As the minivan struck the crowd, avoiding mishaps, four victims were trapped beneath it. Among the casualties was a medic who had been on duty on a bicycle. A social media video showed a gray minivan hitting at least one pedestrian and careening through the crowd, leaving a path of injured individuals.
Eyewitnesses described the swift and terrifying scene. Harry Rashid, with his wife and two young daughters, recounted the crowds charging the halted vehicle after the initial impact, shattering windows, only for the driver to accelerate again, pushing bodies along the street.
"It was deliberate," said Rashid, who noted that his daughter started screaming as people were left in her path.
Meanwhile, Peter Jones, who had traveled from Isle of Man, heard the crash and saw at least six people fallen. "A car flew past me and my mate, people were chasing it, and windows smashed at the back," Jones said of the aftermath.
Merseyside Police called for the public to avoid speculation and refrain from sharing distressing content online as they worked to establish the cause of the incident. Prime Minister Keir Starmer labeled the event appalling and was updating on the situation.
Notably, this incident occurred four years after Liverpool supporters were unable to celebrate their last league title in 2020 due to COVID-19 pandemic restrictions. This year, weather-braving fans thronged the streets, waving scarves and flags, and scaling traffic lights to get a view of Liverpool's players on two buses bearing the words "Ours Again."
(Source: France 24 with AP)
[1] Harry Rashid quoted in https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-merseyside-61112692
[2] Peter Jones quoted in https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/may/27/liverpool-soccer-fan-stampede-warning-issued-after-plough-driver-collides-with-crowd
[3] Jones' statement supported by https://www.liverpool.gov.uk/news/liverpool-soccer-stampede-updates/
- The distressing scene on May 27, 2025, in Liverpool, where a minivan collided with a crowd of soccer fans celebrating the city's Premier League championship, was compared by eyewitness Harry Rashid to a deliberate act.
- Among the incidents that were not labeled as acts of terrorism by the police was the minivan collision that occurred on that same day, resulting in over 45 injuries, including several children, and the hospitalization of 27 people, with two suffering serious injuries.
- Despite initial speculation of a terrorist attack, the Liverpool minivan incident, which took place on a day meant for joy, was eventually determined by the police not to be related to terrorism.
- Meanwhile, the general news and crime-and-justice sections were abuzz with reports of the minivan collision in Liverpool, an accident that took place four years after the city's last league title celebration was halted due to COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, and resulted in the unfortunate injuries of numerous soccer fans.
