A MAN has been charged after seven people were left seriously injured when a car ploughed into a crowd of pedestrians in a busy city centre.
Cops arrested the 36-year-old man after scrambling to the scene in Derby on a busy Saturday night.
The man was charged with attempted murder, causing serious injury through dangerous driving, inflicting grievous bodily harm with intent, and dangerous driving.
He is originally from India but has lived in the UK for a number of years.
Derbyshire Police have been leading the investigation with the support of Counter Terrorism Policing colleagues.
The force said this is a common practice for such an incident and are keeping an open mind about the potential motives.
This does not mean the incident is currently being treated as terrorism.
Derbyshire Police say the incident, around 9.30pm, involved a black Suzuki Swift in the Friar Gate area, which was packed with pubgoers.
Paramedics treated a number of pedestrians before they were taken to taken to Royal Derby Hospital and Queen’s Medical Centre in Nottingham.
Photos circulating on social media – which we are not publishing – showed several people lying on the pavement and in the road.
Officers stopped a vehicle believed to have been involved shortly afterwards and the driver was arrested.
An eye-witness told The Mirror that the scene was “absolute carnage”.
They said: “It was utterly horrific. People were laying on the pavement covered in blood and on the road.”
Another by-stander told The Daily Telegraph it was “sickening”.
They added: “We were walking down the street when it happened. There was screaming and yelling. It was horrendous.”
Police said there is not believed to be an ongoing risk to the public.
The force issued an urgent appeal for anyone who may have footage of the incident.
A spokesperson said: “It is thought that the suspect drove off along Friar Gate away from the city centre, towards Ashbourne Road, then onto Bridge Street, Lodge Lane towards Five Lamps, Garden Street and Duffield Road before going onto St Alkmund’s Way.
“The visibly damaged vehicle was then safely stopped by police a short time later at Station Approach, on the way over to Pride Park.”
Following the incident, Labour MP for Derby North, Catherine Atkinson, posted to Facebook: “I am deeply shocked by reports that people have been injured in a serious incident in Derby city centre this evening.
“My thoughts are with those injured and I’m grateful to our emergency services.
“Please follow police advice and avoid the area. Anyone who has information should contact them as soon as possible.”
Baggy Shanker, the member for Derby South, said his thoughts were with “everyone who has been affected and with their loved ones”.
Chief Superintendent Emma Aldred, who leads policing in the city, said on Sunday: “Firstly I would like to send my best wishes to the people who were injured, their friends and families, and to the public who witnessed what will have been a very traumatic thing to see.
“I know this incident will have sent shockwaves through our communities but I would like to reassure people that we have a dedicated team of detectives working on it.
“Thanks to the fast actions of officers, working on eyewitness information from the public, we were able to quickly arrest the suspect in the city just a few minutes after the incident took place.
“I also want to thank the members of the public and staff from local businesses in Friar Gate, who helped officers with first aid in the immediate aftermath of the incident.
“We will provide updates to the public as quickly as we can, but sometimes those updates take a bit of time due to the complexity of the incident we are dealing with.
“I’d also like to thank business owners, their staff, and people whose cars are stuck within the cordon for their patience while we continue our work at the scene.”
The Home Secretary is said to be being kept updated on the incident.
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson told the BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg: “My thoughts are with anyone that’s been affected by this, those who’ve been injured or hurt, and their family members at this really difficult time.”
She added: “The police are actively investigating. We don’t believe there is wider cause for the public to be alarmed.
“The police have made an arrest, and the Home Secretary is being kept updated on this.”
A spokesperson for East Midlands Ambulance Service said: “We received a call at 9.31pm yesterday, Saturday March 28 to Friar Gate, Derby. The caller reported a medical emergency.
“We sent a number of resources including three paramedics in three ambulance cars, seven ambulances and our Hazardous Area Response Team. We transported seven patients between Royal Derby Hospital and Queen’s Medical Centre.
