LONDON: British police said on Sunday (Mar 29) that seven people suffered “serious but not life-threatening injuries” and a man had been arrested for attempted murder after a car drove into people on a street in an English city on Saturday night.
Officers arrested a man in his 30s shortly after the incident in Derby, about 65km north of Birmingham, Derbyshire Police said.
“He was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder, causing serious injury through dangerous driving, inflicting grievous bodily harm with intent, and dangerous driving,” the force added.
“The investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident are ongoing and we are keeping an open mind as to the motives.”
The statement said the suspect was “originally from India”. United Kingdom police have started to release such details in some high-profile cases, after a 2024 Southport mass stabbing targeting children was initially falsely blamed on a purported immigrant.
Misinformation online was viewed as helping to fuel anti-immigration riots that subsequently swept the country.
The black Suzuki Swift car struck the pedestrians at about 9.30pm, according to police.
The seven injured were treated at the scene and then taken to Royal Derby Hospital and Queen’s Medical Centre in the nearby city of Nottingham.
“The seven suffered a range of serious but not life-threatening injuries and we can confirm that, contrary to online speculation, no one died in the incident,” police noted.
Interior minister Shabana Mahmood was being kept updated on the incident, Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson told the BBC.
“The police are actively investigating. We don’t believe there is wider cause for the public to be alarmed,” she added.
Derby North MP Catherine Atkinson said she was “deeply shocked” by the incident.
“My thoughts are with those injured and I’m grateful to our emergency services,” she said on social media.