Several injured when car drove into the crowd in New Orleans

Police stand next to a pickup truck that slammed into a crowd and other vehicles, causing multiple injuries, coming to a stop against a dump truck, during the Krewe of Endymion parade in New Orleans, Saturday, Feb. 25, 2017. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

28 people were injured after a car drove into a crowd during a parade in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Police suspect drunk driving.

Altogether 28 people were taken to hospital after the incident. Five of them are treated for serious injuries, while seven did not want treatment, according to the local newspaper The Times-Picayune.

One person has been arrested after the incident. At a press conference Police Chief Michael Harrison was several times asked if terrorism was suspected. He did not completely disregard the possibility, but stressed that they think we are dealing with drinking and driving.

– We suspect that the driver was very intoxicated, said Harrison.

The car crashed into the people that had gathered to see the “Krewe of Endymion” parade, which is part of the Mardi Gras celebration in the city.

A witness says that the car hit several other cars and people, before it turned and crashed into a waste disposal truck. Several people are reported to have been squeezed between cars or ending up under them.

The 20 year old witness, Kourtney McKinnis, told local newspaper “The Advocate” that the driver apparently did not understand what he had done.

– He was just totally out of it, she says.

Head of the city’s ambulance service says the victims are ranging from young children 3-4 years old to adults in their 30s and 40s.

 

Source: NTB scanpix / Norway Today