Latest news with #MatthewO'Carroll
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
'Driver looked emotional and agitated' - Liverpool witnesses share stories
There were already signs that something had gone wrong in Liverpool city centre before the car ploughed into the crowd. Tens of thousands had gathered to see Liverpool FC parade the Premier League trophy and were, as one witness put it, "packed like sardines" on Water Street. But a few hundred yards away, a large Ford family car was trying to make its way through the dense crowds of jubilant supporters on a road which was supposed to be closed. By the time someone had started to film the car, a few people in the crowd were trying to stop the driver from getting any further. At least one man threw a punch at the car, and another kicked it with enough force to dislodge its rear windscreen wiper. LIVE UPDATES: Child and adult seriously hurt WHAT WE KNOW: Man arrested, dozens injured WATCH: Videos show car driving through crowd WITNESSES: 'Car missed us by inches' The car jolted back twice, nearly taking people off their feet both times, before veering around a stationary car and picking up speed as it headed onto Water Street. Further down, someone managed to open the advancing car's door but it kept moving forward. Seconds later, one fan who witnessed the carnage described seeing people "scattered like bowling pins". BBC News has spoken to several people who were on Water Street on Monday to understand how, as one fan put it, "paradise turned to hell". On Tuesday, police confirmed Water Street was meant to be closed for the parade. Investigators believe the driver followed an ambulance, which was on its way to attend to a suspected heart attack, to get through the cordon. One of those who saw the incident close-up was Matthew O'Carroll, 28, from Cheshire. He said: "People managed to get out of the way as he was beeping as he went through - but as he went past, people were obviously very angry and so started running after the car. "The back window of the car was already smashed. "I thought that once it went past us, it was just someone that was trying to get away from something and would slow down when he got to more people." Dan Ogunshakin, a BBC Sport reporter, had travelled to Liverpool for the day with a friend to see his team lift the trophy. As he was walking up Water Street, he noticed the car that, unbeknown to him, others had tried to stop further up the road. "We wondered what it was doing there," Dan said. "Suddenly people surrounded the car. "They were banging it, shaking it, rocking it. It was joyous and then suddenly everything changed." This time the number of people trying to intervene and block the car from going any further was much larger than earlier. Footage from the scene shows a frantic mass swarming the car and police officers moving in. Dan described a "large bang" as the car hit an ambulance parked behind it. "Then it just [moved] forward [and] accelerated very quickly into the crowd," he added. One witness who spoke to BBC Radio 5 Live saw how the man at the wheel reacted to the chaos unfolding around his vehicle. Harry Rashid said: "I could see the driver of the vehicle... my wife saw him clearly. "He looked emotional, agitated, his hands were moving about. "He was trying to close the door of the car because people were trying to pull the door open. "When he closed the door people were banging on the vehicle, the windscreens, the side windows, the back window. "Within the next five seconds he managed to put his car into gear again and drive straight through the people in front of him." Nobody knows what was going through the driver's mind, or why he was attempting to take a large car down the packed road in the first place. Police say a 53-year-old white British man from the West Derby area of Liverpool is in custody and being questioned on suspicion of attempted murder, dangerous driving and driving while unfit through drugs. Most of those around the car managed to scatter as it lurched forward, picking up speed - but not everyone got out of the way. One man was seen being thrown onto the bonnet and bouncing off the windscreen, before falling to the ground. Then the car veered right towards a tightly packed part of the crowd clustered on a pavement outside a Hooters bar, creating a sickening domino effect as people careered into one another. Others were pulled along with the car or hurled to the floor. Daniel Eveson's partner was dragged under the car's wheels and his baby son's pram tossed down the street. For a moment, he did not know if his partner or son had survived. Describing the scene, he said he saw "people going flying and people screaming and just terror, pure terror", adding: "I thought I'd lost everything." "I saw a gentleman on the bonnet and the rest was just chaos," Mr Eveson, from Telford, Shropshire, told BBC Radio Shropshire. The car struck him in the chest before his partner went under its wheels and was dragged down the road. Meanwhile, the impact spun their son's pram about four-and-a-half metres (15ft) down the street. Mr Eveson was able to locate his son, who was unharmed, and leave him in a restaurant with helpers as he went back to search for his partner. Another person in the car's path was BBC reporter Matt Cole, who had taken his family along to the celebrations. He said an ambulance had just made its way through the "dense" crowd when "there were screams ahead of us". "[The car] just wasn't stopping," he recounted. "I managed to grab my daughter who was with me and jump out of the way. "It missed myself and my family by literally inches." Among the 50 people treated in hospital - 11 of whom were still in hospital on Tuesday - were an adult and child who sustained serious injuries. No one lost their lives. Jack Trotter, who had travelled to Liverpool from Northern Ireland to celebrate his club's triumph, was one of those injured. He described being in "absolute agony" but said he was "extremely lucky" as he managed to move partly out the way as the car came towards him. Paul, who had visited from North Yorkshire, said: "We just heard this screaming, and we saw coming to car coming to us. "It was panic, my daughters were just screaming and just wanted to go home. It was so horrific to watch." Another of those hurt was a paramedic, who was stationed inside the crowd on a bicycle. Steve, from Chester, told BBC Radio Merseyside he saw the paramedic being struck, and recounted how he, his wife and friend ran down a side street to find safety. "We didn't know what was happening, you just want to find somewhere as safe as you can," he added. Within seconds of the car ploughing through the crowd and coming to a halt, a large crowd had surrounded it again, including several police officers flooding down the road. Footage from the scene shows the crowd desperately lashing out at the car in an attempt to prevent the driver doing further harm. "They were extremely brave," Steve said. "If it hadn't been for their action the vehicle would have carried on going down the street, I'm convinced." Whole country stands with Liverpool after 'horror' of car ploughing into crowds, Starmer says
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
'Driver looked emotional and agitated' - Liverpool witnesses share stories
There were already signs that something had gone wrong in Liverpool city centre before the car ploughed into the crowd. Tens of thousands had gathered to see Liverpool FC parade the Premier League trophy and were, as one witness put it, "packed like sardines" on Water Street. But a few hundred yards away, a large Ford family car was trying to make its way through the dense crowds of jubilant supporters on a road which was supposed to be closed. By the time someone had started to film the car, a few people in the crowd were trying to stop the driver from getting any further. At least one man threw a punch at the car, and another kicked it with enough force to dislodge its rear windscreen wiper. LIVE UPDATES: Child and adult seriously hurt WHAT WE KNOW: Man arrested, dozens injured WATCH: Videos show car driving through crowd WITNESSES: 'Car missed us by inches' The car jolted back twice, nearly taking people off their feet both times, before veering around a stationary car and picking up speed as it headed onto Water Street. Further down, someone managed to open the advancing car's door but it kept moving forward. Seconds later, one fan who witnessed the carnage described seeing people "scattered like bowling pins". BBC News has spoken to several people who were on Water Street on Monday to understand how, as one fan put it, "paradise turned to hell". On Tuesday, police confirmed Water Street was meant to be closed for the parade. Investigators believe the driver followed an ambulance, which was on its way to attend to a suspected heart attack, to get through the cordon. One of those who saw the incident close-up was Matthew O'Carroll, 28, from Cheshire. He said: "People managed to get out of the way as he was beeping as he went through - but as he went past, people were obviously very angry and so started running after the car. "The back window of the car was already smashed. "I thought that once it went past us, it was just someone that was trying to get away from something and would slow down when he got to more people." Dan Ogunshakin, a BBC Sport reporter, had travelled to Liverpool for the day with a friend to see his team lift the trophy. As he was walking up Water Street, he noticed the car that, unbeknown to him, others had tried to stop further up the road. "We wondered what it was doing there," Dan said. "Suddenly people surrounded the car. "They were banging it, shaking it, rocking it. It was joyous and then suddenly everything changed." This time the number of people trying to intervene and block the car from going any further was much larger than earlier. Footage from the scene shows a frantic mass swarming the car and police officers moving in. Dan described a "large bang" as the car hit an ambulance parked behind it. "Then it just [moved] forward [and] accelerated very quickly into the crowd," he added. One witness who spoke to BBC Radio 5 Live saw how the man at the wheel reacted to the chaos unfolding around his vehicle. Harry Rashid said: "I could see the driver of the vehicle... my wife saw him clearly. "He looked emotional, agitated, his hands were moving about. "He was trying to close the door of the car because people were trying to pull the door open. "When he closed the door people were banging on the vehicle, the windscreens, the side windows, the back window. "Within the next five seconds he managed to put his car into gear again and drive straight through the people in front of him." Nobody knows what was going through the driver's mind, or why he was attempting to take a large car down the packed road in the first place. Police say a 53-year-old white British man from the West Derby area of Liverpool is in custody and being questioned on suspicion of attempted murder, dangerous driving and driving while unfit through drugs. Most of those around the car managed to scatter as it lurched forward, picking up speed - but not everyone got out of the way. One man was seen being thrown onto the bonnet and bouncing off the windscreen, before falling to the ground. Then the car veered right towards a tightly packed part of the crowd clustered on a pavement outside a Hooters bar, creating a sickening domino effect as people careered into one another. Others were pulled along with the car or hurled to the floor. Daniel Eveson's partner was dragged under the car's wheels and his baby son's pram tossed down the street. For a moment, he did not know if his partner or son had survived. Describing the scene, he said he saw "people going flying and people screaming and just terror, pure terror", adding: "I thought I'd lost everything." "I saw a gentleman on the bonnet and the rest was just chaos," Mr Eveson, from Telford, Shropshire, told BBC Radio Shropshire. The car struck him in the chest before his partner went under its wheels and was dragged down the road. Meanwhile, the impact spun their son's pram about four-and-a-half metres (15ft) down the street. Mr Eveson was able to locate his son, who was unharmed, and leave him in a restaurant with helpers as he went back to search for his partner. Another person in the car's path was BBC reporter Matt Cole, who had taken his family along to the celebrations. He said an ambulance had just made its way through the "dense" crowd when "there were screams ahead of us". "[The car] just wasn't stopping," he recounted. "I managed to grab my daughter who was with me and jump out of the way. "It missed myself and my family by literally inches." Among the 50 people treated in hospital - 11 of whom were still in hospital on Tuesday - were an adult and child who sustained serious injuries. No one lost their lives. Jack Trotter, who had travelled to Liverpool from Northern Ireland to celebrate his club's triumph, was one of those injured. He described being in "absolute agony" but said he was "extremely lucky" as he managed to move partly out the way as the car came towards him. Paul, who had visited from North Yorkshire, said: "We just heard this screaming, and we saw coming to car coming to us. "It was panic, my daughters were just screaming and just wanted to go home. It was so horrific to watch." Another of those hurt was a paramedic, who was stationed inside the crowd on a bicycle. Steve, from Chester, told BBC Radio Merseyside he saw the paramedic being struck, and recounted how he, his wife and friend ran down a side street to find safety. "We didn't know what was happening, you just want to find somewhere as safe as you can," he added. Within seconds of the car ploughing through the crowd and coming to a halt, a large crowd had surrounded it again, including several police officers flooding down the road. Footage from the scene shows the crowd desperately lashing out at the car in an attempt to prevent the driver doing further harm. "They were extremely brave," Steve said. "If it hadn't been for their action the vehicle would have carried on going down the street, I'm convinced." Whole country stands with Liverpool after 'horror' of car ploughing into crowds, Starmer says
Leader Live
27-05-2025
- Leader Live
Liverpool: Witnesses describe horror as car ploughs into crowds
With most people enjoying a spring break holiday, it is believed up to 1 million Liverpool fans had lined the streets to celebrate the team as they moved through the city centre with the Premier League trophy on an open-top bus. The parade began at Allerton Maze south of the city before embarking on a 10-mile route over three-and-a-half hours ending with a finale on the Strand in the city centre. Chaos erupted on Water Street, about a mile before the parade's endpoint. The bus had only recently passed the attendees when a vehicle rammed into the crowds, witnesses reported. Footage of the incident, which was circulating online on Monday, appeared to show the car speed up as it veered into pedestrians on both sides of the street, passing a Hooters restaurant at one point, with people knocked to the floor off the windshield, falling to the ground and darting out of the way to avoid harm. A 53-year-old white British man from the Liverpool area was arrested, Merseyside Police confirmed. Police tents remain at the scene on Water Street (Image: Peter Byrne) One onlooker, Matthew O'Carroll, 28, from Runcorn, saw the car approaching the top of Water Street. He said the vehicle went past a parked police van at a 'decent' speed and that the driver was beeping as he went through the crowd. Meanwhile, witness Mike Maddra told the PA news agency the 'car turned left, mounted pavement, come towards us and runs towards the buildings'. He said: 'we got out the way and it was speeding up'. Mr Maddra said he thought he saw two people being hit and added, 'it looked deliberate'. Social media video also showed angry fans converging on the vehicle as it came to a stop, smashing windows before police intervened. A map showing where the collision took place (Image: PA Wire) Harry Rashid, 48, from Solihul, described how crowds began trying to smash the car windows, causing the driver to stall for about 10 seconds, before putting his foot down again and hitting more people. Witnesses told The Guardian the whole ordeal lasted 20-30 seconds, and the first victim was thrown 'about 20 feet' in the air. Dan Ogunshakin, an off-duty BBC reporter attending the parade, told the public broadcaster he saw people hitting the car before it reversed and then 'it suddenly accelerated forwards', straight towards the surrounding crowd. 'What had once been an atmosphere of celebration and joy and happiness suddenly turned into fear and terror and disbelief,' he said. Police said the car eventually stopped at the scene and the man was detained. BBC reporter Matt Cole described how police officers exited a 'squad' of armed police vehicles with rifles and medical packs and began running to the scene. Twenty-seven people were taken to hospital, and a further 20 were treated at the scene. Nick Searle, Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service chief fire officer, said four people who were trapped under the car, including a child, were rescued by firefighters. Not being treated as terrorism At a press conference, Merseyside Police Assistant Chief Constable Jenny Sims said the 'horrific incident' was not being treated as terrorism. Liverpool Echo reporter Paddy Edrich said local Italian restaurant Riva was used as a makeshift triage centre. 'People inside Riva are being treated by paramedics. Some have bandages around their heads and limbs,' he said in a post on X. 'Staff in the restaurant appear to be providing fluids to those being treated and the emergency services.' Other casualties were spotted being taken away by ambulance to nearby hospitals. A heavy emergency services presence remained in place for hours afterwards, with police cars, fire engines and ambulances remaining on the street. A large blue tent was erected on Water Street, with two fire engines parked in front. The incident happened shortly after Liverpool FC's open-top bus had passed by (Image: Peter Byrne) Liverpool FC said in a statement that the club was in 'direct contact with Merseyside Police regarding the incident on Water Street which happened towards the end of the trophy parade'. 'Our thoughts and prayers are with those who have been affected by this serious incident,' a post on X read. 'We will continue to offer our full support to the emergency services and local authorities who are dealing with this incident.' Well-wishes flowed from other Premier League clubs, including Everton, Manchester United and Manchester City. Starmer: Scenes are appalling In a statement, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said: 'The scenes in Liverpool are appalling — my thoughts are with all those injured or affected.' He later added: 'Tonight, I have spoken to Steve Rotheram about the terrible events in Liverpool and the remarkable bravery shown by the police and other emergency services. 'They are supporting and caring for those injured in these terrible events. 'Everyone, especially children, should be able to celebrate their heroes without this horror. 'The city has a long and proud history of coming together through difficult times. 'Liverpool stands together and the whole country stands with Liverpool.'
BBC News
27-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
'Driver looked emotional and agitated' - Liverpool witnesses share stories
The first sign that something terrible was about to happen came further up the of thousands had gathered to see Liverpool parade the Premier League trophy and were, as one witness put it, "packed like sardines" on Water Street, a main road which leads to the iconic Liver it was further east on Dale Street where the panic began.A large Ford family car was trying to make its way through the dense crowds of jubilant the time someone had started to film the car, a few people in the crowd were already trying to stop the driver from getting any further into the sea of least one man threw a punch at the car, another kicked it with enough force to dislodge its rear windscreen UPDATES: Child and adult seriously hurtWHAT WE KNOW: Man arrested, dozens injuredWATCH: Videos show car driving through crowdWITNESSES: 'Car missed us by inches'The car jolted back twice, nearly taking people off their feet both times, before veering around a stationary car and picking up speed as it headed onto Water down, someone managed to open the advancing car's door but it kept moving later, one fan who witnessed the carnage described seeing people "scattered like bowling pins".BBC News has spoken to several people who were on Water Street on Monday to understand how, as one fan put it, "paradise turned to hell". Matthew O'Carroll, 28, from Runcorn, Cheshire, said: "People managed to get out of the way as he was beeping as he went through - but as he went past, people were obviously very angry and so started running after the car."The back window of the car was already smashed."I thought that once it went past us, it was just someone that was trying to get away from something and would slow down when he got to more people." 'He looked emotional, agitated' One of those who saw the incident close-up was Dan Ogunshakin, a BBC Sport reporter who had travelled to Liverpool for the day with a friend to see his team lift the he was walking up Water Street, he noticed the car that, unbeknown to him, others had tried to stop further up the road."We wondered what it was doing there," Dan said. "Suddenly people surrounded the car. "They were banging it, shaking it, rocking it. It was joyous and then suddenly everything changed."This time the number of people trying to intervene and block the car from going any further was much larger than from the scene shows a frantic mass swarming the car and police officers moving described a "large bang" as the car hit an ambulance parked behind it."Then it just [moved] forward [and] accelerated very quickly into the crowd," he added. One witness who spoke to BBC Radio 5 Live saw how the man at the wheel reacted to the chaos unfolding around his Rashid said: "I could see the driver of the vehicle... my wife saw him clearly. "He looked emotional, agitated, his hands were moving about."He was trying to close the door of the car because people were trying to pull the door open."When he closed the door people were banging on the vehicle, the wind screens, the side windows, the back window."Within the next five seconds he managed to put his car into gear again and drive straight through the people in front of him."It is still unclear how the car came to be on the road and what measures were in place to stop this from does anyone know what was going through the driver's mind, or why he was attempting to take a large car down the packed road in the first place. 'It just wasn't stopping' Most of those around the car managed to scatter as it lurched forward, picking up speed - but not everyone got out of the man was seen being thrown onto the bonnet and bouncing off the windscreen, before falling to the the car veered right towards a tightly packed part of the crowd clustered on a pavement outside a Hooters bar, creating a sickening domino effect as people careered into one were pulled along with the car or hurled to the floor. One of those in the car's path was BBC reporter Matt Cole, who had taken his family along to the said an ambulance had just made its way through the "dense" crowd when "there were screams ahead of us"."[The car] just wasn't stopping," he recounted. "I managed to grab my daughter who was with me and jump out of the way."It missed myself and my family by literally inches."Among the 50 people hurt were an adult and child who sustained serious injuries. No one lost their Trotter, who had travelled to Liverpool from Northern Ireland to celebrate his club's triumph, was one of those described being in "absolute agony" but said he was "extremely lucky" as he managed to move partly out the way as the car came towards who had visited from North Yorkshire, said: "We just heard this screaming, and we saw coming to car coming to us."It was panic, my daughters were just screaming and just wanted to go home. It was so horrific to watch." Another of those hurt was a paramedic, who was stationed inside the crowd on a bicycle. Steve, from Chester, told BBC Radio Merseyside he saw the paramedic being struck, and recounted how he, his wife and friend ran down a side street to find safety."We didn't know what was happening, you just want to find somewhere as safe as you can," he seconds of the car ploughing through the crowd and coming to a halt, a large crowd had surrounded it again, including several police officers flooding down the from the scene shows the crowd desperately lashing at the car in an effort to prevent the driver doing further harm."They were extremely brave," Steve said."If it hadn't been for their action the vehicle would have carried on going down the street, I'm convinced."A 53-year-old white British man from the Liverpool area has been arrested and is in police custody.
BreakingNews.ie
27-05-2025
- BreakingNews.ie
Witnesses describe ‘terror' amid Liverpool parade ramming horror
Dozens were injured on Monday after a car ploughed into crowds of Liverpool fans celebrating the club's recent Premier League title. With most people enjoying a spring break holiday, up to 1 million Liverpool fans had lined the streets to celebrate the team as they moved through the city centre with the Premier League trophy on an open-top bus. Advertisement The parade began at Allerton Maze south of the city before embarking on a 10-mile route over three-and-a-half hours ending with a finale on the Strand in the city centre. Chaos erupted on Water Street, about a mile before the parade's endpoint. The bus had only recently passed the attendees when a vehicle rammed into the crowds, witnesses reported. Footage of the incident, which was circulating online on Monday, appeared to show the car speed up as it veered into pedestrians on both sides of the street, passing a Hooters restaurant at one point, with people knocked to the floor off the windshield, falling to the ground and darting out of the way to avoid harm. Advertisement A 53-year-old white British man from the Liverpool area was arrested, Merseyside Police confirmed. One onlooker, Matthew O'Carroll (28), saw the car approaching the top of Water Street. He said the vehicle went past a parked police van at a 'decent' speed and that the driver was beeping as he went through the crowd. Meanwhile, witness Mike Maddra told the PA news agency the 'car turned left, mounted pavement, come towards us and runs towards the buildings'. Advertisement He said: 'we got out the way and it was speeding up'. Mr Maddra said he thought he saw two people being hit and added, 'it looked deliberate'. Social media video also showed angry fans converging on the vehicle as it came to a stop, smashing windows before police intervened. Harry Rashid (48), from Solihull near Birmingham, said you could 'hear the bumps' as the driver rammed spectators. Advertisement He described how crowds began trying to smash the car windows, causing the driver to stall for about 10 seconds, before putting his foot down again and hitting more people. Witnesses told The Guardian the whole ordeal lasted 20-30 seconds, and the first victim was thrown 'about 20 feet' in the air. Police and emergency personnel dealing with a road traffic accident on Water Street near the Liver Building in Liverpool. Photo: Danny Lawson/PA Dan Ogunshakin, an off-duty BBC reporter attending the parade, told the public broadcaster he saw people hitting the car before it reversed and then 'it suddenly accelerated forwards', straight towards the surrounding crowd. 'What had once been an atmosphere of celebration and joy and happiness suddenly turned into fear and terror and disbelief,' he said. Advertisement Police said the car eventually stopped at the scene and the man was detained. BBC reporter Matt Cole described how police officers exited a 'squad' of armed police vehicles with rifles and medical packs and began running to the scene. Daniel Jones (28) told The Sun newspaper that police restrained people who were 'smashing' the car. 'They were ripping the register plate off,' he said. 'The back window was broken when the (driver) was still in it.' Twenty-seven people were taken to hospital, and a further 20 were treated at the scene. Nick Searle, Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service chief fire officer, said four people who were trapped under the car, including a child, were rescued by firefighters. At a press conference, Merseyside Police Assistant Chief Constable Jenny Sims said the 'horrific incident' was not being treated as terrorism. North West Ambulance Service's Dave Kitchin and Merseyside Police's Assistant Chief Constable Jenny Sims, during a press conference (Danny Lawson/PA) Liverpool Echo reporter Paddy Edrich said local Italian restaurant Riva was used as a makeshift triage centre. 'People inside Riva are being treated by paramedics. Some have bandages around their heads and limbs,' he said in a post on X. 'Staff in the restaurant appear to be providing fluids to those being treated and the emergency services.' Other casualties were spotted being taken away by ambulance to nearby hospitals. A heavy emergency services presence remained in place for hours afterwards, with police cars, fire engines and ambulances remaining on the street. A large blue tent was erected on Water Street, with two fire engines parked in front. Liverpool FC said in a statement that the club was in 'direct contact with Merseyside Police regarding the incident on Water Street which happened towards the end of the trophy parade'. 'Our thoughts and prayers are with those who have been affected by this serious incident,' a post on X read. 'We will continue to offer our full support to the emergency services and local authorities who are dealing with this incident.' Well-wishes flowed from other Premier League clubs, including Everton, Manchester United and Manchester City. In a statement, British prime minister Keir Starmer said: 'The scenes in Liverpool are appalling — my thoughts are with all those injured or affected.' He later added: 'Tonight, I have spoken to Steve Rotheram about the terrible events in Liverpool and the remarkable bravery shown by the police and other emergency services. 'They are supporting and caring for those injured in these terrible events. World Man arrested after car ploughs into crowds of peop... Read More 'Everyone, especially children, should be able to celebrate their heroes without this horror. 'The city has a long and proud history of coming together through difficult times. 'Liverpool stands together and the whole country stands with Liverpool.'
