Man wrongly accused of driving car into Liverpool crowd left 'stressed out'
Peter Cunningham was wrongly accused of being in connection with an incident that injured crowds celebrating Liverpool's title win. A different man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.
A man falsely accused of driving a car into crowds of people during Liverpool FC's title celebrations says it has left him "stressed out".
Dad-of-three Peter Cunningham was bombarded by calls and text messages from family and friends after his name and photograph was wrongly shared.
The image was falsely connected to an incident in which 79 people were left injured following the incident on Water Street in Liverpool city centre, reports the Mirror.
A different man, a white British man from Derby, 53, has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder, dangerous driving offences and driving while unfit through drugs.
Peter from Huyton on the outskirts of Liverpool said he was not at the parade or in the city centre on Monday when the Ford Galaxy drove into crowds of people shortly after 6pm.
The car is believed to have managed to tailgate behind an ambulance in order to make its way on to Water Street, which had been closed to traffic for the parade event.
It was confirmed that the ambulance had been allowed past a road block at the junction of Water Street and Rumford Street to attend to a man suffering a suspected heart attack when the Galaxy driver followed in behind.
Since the arrest, a photo of Peter has been shared on social media which claims the 54-year-old is the man in custody. In response he said: "I'm stressed out, I don't need it all.
"It's a bad thing that has happened and the police need to do something about it and get his name out there. Other people's names have been shared.
"It's nothing to do with me, I'm in work right now and the man they arrested is in custody."
Speaking about the moment he found out his name had been shared in connection to the incident, he said: "I was getting phone calls off family members and friends saying 'what the hell is going on?'.
"These YouTubers and people on social media are just sharing it to make money."
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Peter claims he has since messaged the account he believes was first to share his photo in connection with the incident, and their post has now been taken down.
Eyewitness reports suggest some of the pedestrians in the area attempted to stop him from progressing down the closed off street.
After this the car sped up and ploughed into those walking along Water Street, creating a scene of devastation.
Police quickly said they had arrested a 53-year-man from Liverpool, before the force announced he was from West Derby and had officially been arrested.
In total there were at least 79 casualties, with 50 people treated at hospitals across the region. 11 of those remained in hospital as of Tuesday afternoon, with police confirming they are all in a stable condition and appear to be recovering well.
Merseyside Police continue to question the man arrested in connection with the crash on Water Street and have confirmed he remains in custody until at least Thursday.
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