What we know about the car ramming that left dozens of Liverpool fans injured

By Rob Picheta, CNN

(CNN) — Monday began as a day of celebration for many in Liverpool, the free-spirited, soccer-loving city in northwest England. It ended in panic and horror, after a car rammed crowds and injured dozens of people, including children.

Police are now picking through the details of the disturbing incident in the center of the city, which saw the vehicle tear through fans celebrating the Liverpool soccer team’s Premier League title win.

An arrest was quickly made, and on Thursday, a man was charged with several counts related to the incident, but plenty of questions remain – including why a 53-year-old man drove into a throng of people.

Here’s what we know.

What happened in Liverpool?

Liverpool was awash with red on Monday, with hundreds of thousands of soccer fans cramming its streets to watch an open-top bus parade celebrating the club’s 20th league title.

But just after 6 p.m. local time (1 p.m. ET), concern began to trickle through the crowds. Merseyside Police said they had made an arrest, “following reports a car had been in collision with a number of pedestrians on Water Street.”

Footage posted online appeared to show the car surrounded by fans, with a confrontation between the driver and members of the crowd. The vehicle then sped up and veered from right to left across the street, another video showed, knocking people to the ground and causing a frenzied scrum before coming to a stop.

“It was extremely fast,” eyewitness Harry Rashid told Britain’s PA Media news agency. “Initially, we just heard the pop, pop, pop of people just being knocked off the bonnet of a car.”

How many were hurt?

A total of 79 victims were injured in the crash, police said in a Thursday statement, adding that of those injured, seven remained in hospital.

“I hope that all of those who were injured, or witnessed this terrible incident are able – given time – to heal and recover,” Merseyside Police’s Assistant Chief Constable Jenny Sims said in the statement.

Four people, including a child, were trapped under the car and needed rescuing by firefighters, Nick Searle, the Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service chief fire officer, added.

Who is the suspect?

A 53-year-old White British man, believed to be the driver, was quickly arrested at the scene, according to Merseyside Police.

On Thursday, the UK’s Crown Prosecution Service authorized several charges against the suspect, including dangerous driving, causing grievous bodily harm (GBH) with intent, wounding with intent to cause GBH, and attempted GBH.

The charges will be kept under review as police investigations continue, Sarah Hammond, Chief Crown Prosecutor for CPS Mersey-Cheshire said in a statement.

“The investigation is at an early stage. Prosecutors and police are continuing to work at pace to review a huge volume of evidence,” Hammond said.

“This includes multiple pieces of video footage and numerous witness statements. It is important to ensure every victim gets the justice they deserve,” she added.

It is believed that the suspect was able to enter Water Street, which was closed off to vehicles, by following an ambulance that was allowed onto the street.

Why did police release the suspect’s ethnicity?

Monday’s incident, and the uncertainty that followed, brought back painful memories from another tragedy in the area; the horrific stabbing of three young girls at a Taylor Swift-themed dance event last year in Southport, 20 miles north of Liverpool.

Axel Rudakubana, 18, admitted killing the girls and stabbing 10 others in the attack, which stunned the country. He was sentenced to at least 52 years in prison in January.

In the days of anger and confusion that followed the incident, misinformation about the suspect circulated online. Far-right groups promoted a false rumor that the attacker was a migrant, leading to days of race riots that saw crowds of agitators target and attack hotels housing asylum seekers.

Those events may have informed the decision by Merseyside Police, which also responded to the Southport attacks, to quickly release the information that the suspect was White – an unusual step in the early hours of an investigation.

“I’ve never known a case like this before where they’ve given the ethnicity and the race of the individual who was involved in it (so quickly),” Dal Babu, the former Chief Superintendent of London’s Metropolitan Police, told the BBC Tuesday. “I think that was to dampen down some of the speculation from the far-right that sort of continues on X even as we speak.”

But other factors may also be at play – including the fact that terrorism was quickly ruled out as a motive, removing some sensibilities around the information that is made public.

How did the world of soccer react?

The trophy parade was organized on a nationwide bank holiday, the day after Liverpool lifted the Premier League trophy following the competition’s final round of matches on Sunday.

In a short statement, the club said they were in contact with police and added: “Our thoughts and prayers are with those who have been affected by this serious incident.”

A swell of support also came from the rest of the football community. Everton, Liverpool’s bitter on-field rivals, sent a message of support. Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher called it a “devastating end to the day.”

And Jurgen Klopp, Liverpool’s former manager who was on the open-top bus parade, said: “My family and I are shocked and devastated. Our thoughts and prayers are with all those who are injured and affected.

“You’ll never walk alone,” Klopp added, referencing the show tune famously covered by Liverpool group Gerry and Pacemakers in 1963, which is now synonymous with the team and sung by fans before every game. Its lyrics were immediately shared across social media on Monday after news of the incident emerged.

What happens now?

The scene of the collision was quickly secured. On Tuesday morning, fireworks and other debris littered the cordoned-off street, relics of a party that turned disastrous.

“Liverpool stands together and the whole country stands with Liverpool,” British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Tuesday.

The investigation into the cause and circumstances surrounding the incident are ongoing.

“We know Monday’s shocking scenes reverberated around the city of Liverpool, and the entire country, on what should have been a day of celebration for hundreds of thousands of Liverpool FC supporters. Our thoughts remain with all those affected,” CPS’ Sarah Hammond said on Thursday.

“Criminal proceedings against the defendant are active and he has the right to a fair trial. It is extremely important that there should be no reporting, commentary or sharing of information or media online which could in any way prejudice these proceedings,” she added.

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CNN’s Eve Brennan, Lauren Said-Moorhouse, Catherine Nicholls and Helen Regan contributed reporting.