Car Strikes Liverpool FC Parade Leaving 109 Injured, 50 Hospitalized
Photo Credit: Jon Super/AP News
On May 26, Liverpool Football Club organized a celebratory parade for its 20th English Soccer title. Over 500,000 fans gathered around the streets of the city to celebrate the club’s season with players. The parade followed a path from the south end of the city, to Liverpool’s northern centre on the coast, for two team buses with the players on top.
Unfortunately, the atmosphere of pride and joy dissipated nearly a mile off the finish line of the parade on Water Street. The team bus had already passed approximately 10 minutes before a car drove into the blocked-off street.
“It is believed the driver of the Ford Galaxy car involved in this incident was able to follow an ambulance on to Water Street, after the roadblock was temporarily lifted so that the ambulance crew could attend to a member of the public who was having a suspected heart attack," Jenny Sim, Merseyside’s assistant chief constable said at a press conference. Video footage shows a black vehicle driving through the sea of bright red Liverpool jerseys.
"It was extremely fast,” Harry Rashid, a Liverpool fan in the parade crowd, told CBC News. “Initially, we just heard the pop, pop, pop of people just being knocked off the bonnet of a car."
There were 109 injuries from the attack, and 50 were sent to the hospital. At least four of those injured were children. "The scenes in Liverpool are appalling - my thoughts are with all those injured or affected,” UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Rodney Starmer posted on X.
Once the vehicle had stopped, it was swarmed by fans, who smashed the windows of the vehicle, and cursed its driver. Law enforcement then intervened to stop attacks on the vehicle.
The driver has been identified as Paul Doyle, a 53-year-old from West Derby. He has been charged with seven offences: two for intent to cause bodily harm, two for causing bodily harm with intent, two for attempted bodily harm with intent, and one for dangerous driving.