The scare hit the city center of Szczecin, in northwest Poland. A car crashed into a group of pedestrians and other vehicles. 19 people were injured, two are in “critical condition”. The driver was arrested after fleeing. The possibility of a terrorist act has been ruled out.
19 people were injured on Friday after a car crashed into a group of pedestrians and other vehicles in the center of Szczecin in northwest Poland, authorities said, with police ruling out a “terrorist act” .
“This is not a terrorist act”
“Among the injured are six children. Two injured are in critical condition,” said Adam Rudawski, prefect of the region, adding that the driver was arrested after fleeing. “This is not a terrorist act,” Szczecin police spokesman Pawel Pankau told reporters. “He is a 33-year-old Polish citizen from Szczecin,” he said, adding that the number of injured people could change.
According to him, “the man driving a Ford Focus hit a group of people who were waiting for the tram” on a major intersection in Szczecin with protected crossings. “The very first analyzes indicate that he was not under the influence of alcohol or drugs,” said Szczecin Pawel Pankau. According to witnesses, cited by the Polish press, the driver arriving at the intersection at high speed veered onto the protected crossing, the sidewalk and the tramway, knocking over people. After crossing the intersection, he fled in his car, causing a collision with three vehicles about a kilometer further and injuring their drivers.