The driver was known to the authorities

“Reckless driving” in Leipzig: Dead and injured

The car, which was stopped by a bollard after driving 500 meters through the city center(Bild: APA/dpa/Sebastian Willnow)

There were numerous injuries and at least one fatality on Monday in downtown Leipzig. A car had plowed into a crowd at excessive speed—reportedly 70 to 80 km/h. The driver—a 33-year-old German citizen who was apparently already known to the police—was arrested at the scene.

The car, a light-colored VW, sped about 500 meters down Grimmaische Straße, a shopping street in Leipzig in the German state of Saxony. Numerous people witnessed the drive, which was stopped by a bollard. The driver is in custody. “He no longer poses a danger,” according to the police.

The full extent of the incident still appears unclear. While Leipzig Mayor Burkhard Jung and the police confirmed two fatalities, a police spokesperson later reported one death. The broadcaster MDR also reports one fatality.

Images from the scene of the tragedy:

Police, fire department, and emergency services in a major operation
According to Focus.de, citing Radio Leipzig, 25 people were injured in the reckless drive; the city of Leipzig, according to media reports, speaks of “one fatality, two injured, and about 20 others affected.” 

Hospitals reported a “mass influx of injured people”
Police, fire department, and emergency medical services were on a large-scale operation. Two helicopters were also involved. A “mass influx of injured people” was reported at nearby hospitals, but the situation is gradually easing. On Augustusplatz, from where the driver had steered his vehicle into the pedestrian zone, a support center for the crisis intervention team was set up.

“People were run over”
Some shops and restaurants in the city center were closed, and employees were sent home. According to media reports, many of them were shocked by the incident. An eyewitness told “Focus”: “I saw a car speeding through from inside the store. People were run over.”

According to eyewitnesses, a woman was on the windshield
Eyewitnesses reportedly saw a woman on the car’s windshield as the vehicle sped through the pedestrian zone for reasons that have not yet been clarified. 

Mayor: “Driver Exhibited Signs of Mental Distress”
According to the mayor of Leipzig, the danger has passed following the driver’s arrest. He was reportedly “mentally unstable” at the time of his arrest. A motive is not yet known. Saxony’s Prime Minister Michael Kretschmer called the incident “a suspected rampage.”