LIVERPOOL, England (AP) — A man arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after a car hit a crowd of Liverpool soccer fans celebrating their team’s Premier League championship title is being held in custody an additional day for questioning, police said Wednesday.
Seven people remained hospitalized in stable condition as the number of wounded was increased to nearly 80 people, Merseyside Police said. That number has nearly doubled since the incident on Monday as police learned of additional injuries.
Hundreds of thousands of fans had been celebrating Liverpool’s record-tying 20th league title when a vehicle was driven down a city center street that was closed to traffic and collided into the crowd, transforming a day of joy into a catastrophe.
Police said the unidentified 53-year-old British man in custody is also suspected of driving while unfit through drugs and driving dangerously. It is alleged he dodged a roadblock by following an ambulance that was rushing to treat someone of a suspected heart attack.
Police were granted an extension to hold the suspect longer than 48 hours and will have to either charge him with a crime by Thursday evening or release him.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer visited Liverpool police headquarters on Wednesday to meet senior officers and the city’s mayor.
“The scenes on Monday were just awful, to see how incredible joy at an amazing achievement turned to horror in a moment,” he said.