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Drunken Man Plows Car Into Pedestrians in Germany, Killing 4 Car Plows Into Pedestrians in Germany, Killing at Least 2
(about 2 hours later)
BERLIN — Four people were killed and 10 others wounded after a drunk man sped in his S.U.V. through a pedestrian shopping street in the city of Trier in southwestern Germany on Tuesday. Prosecutors said the man did not appear to be motivated by political or religious beliefs and that they were investigating the case on suspicion of murder. BERLIN — At least two people were killed and several others seriously wounded in the city of Trier in southwestern Germany on Tuesday, when a man drove an S.U.V. down a pedestrian street in the city center, before he was stopped and arrested, the police said.
The man, a 51-year-old German who was born in Trier and lived in the surrounding area, was stopped by police after driving a zigzag course roughly half a mile long down the busy street lined with shops. Prosecutor Peter Fritzen said the man, who officials declined to name, was drunk and appeared to have been living in the vehicle, which was confiscated. The police said that the driver, a 51-year-old German man from the surrounding area, was stopped after driving roughly half a mile down the busy street and that his vehicle had been confiscated. Heavily armed officers sealed off the area to allow rescue workers to attend to the wounded and to enable the police to begin gathering evidence.
“There are indications that point to a possible psychiatric disorder,” said Mr. Fritzen. “At this time, we cannot say anything about his motivation,” Karl-Peter Jochem, a spokesman for the police in Trier, told reporters, adding that the man had resisted arrest. “We do not know why he did this and there are no indications in any direction; we first have to question him, which at the moment is very difficult.”
Among the victims killed were a 9-month-old baby, a 25-year-old woman, a 45-year-old man and a 72-year-old woman, all from Trier. Four of the wounded were in serious condition, said Roger Lewentz, the interior minister for Rhineland-Palatinate state. He said the police believe that the man acted on his own and that there was no further danger posed to the city after his arrest. Still, Mr. Jochem urged people to avoid the center of Trier.
Images from a grainy video taken by a bystander, the authenticity of which was confirmed by a police spokesman, Uwe Konz, showed a silver S.U.V. being rammed by an unmarked police car and three officers surrounding and restraining the driver. Franz-Dieter Ankner, vice-president of the Trier police, said the vehicle was a Land Rover that was not registered in the driver’s name, but belonged to someone who was not involved in the incident. Images from a grainy video taken by a bystander, the authenticity of which was confirmed by a police spokesman, Uwe Konz, showed a silver S.U.V. being rammed by an unmarked police car and three officers surrounding and restraining the driver.
Wolfram Leibe, the mayor of Trier, speaking to reporters, broke down when describing the carnage in a city where people were out making the best of what is proving to be a trying pre-Christmas season during the coronavirus pandemic. Wolfram Leibe, the mayor of Trier, told reporters that the driver would be brought to justice. He broke down when describing the carnage in a city where people were out making the best of what is proving to be a trying pre-Christmas season during the coronavirus pandemic. He declined to give the numbers of the wounded, although he had previously spoken of at least 15 seriously hurt.
“I just walked through the city center and it was simply horrifying,” Mr. Leibe said. “There was a sneaker standing there. The girl it belongs to is dead.”“I just walked through the city center and it was simply horrifying,” Mr. Leibe said. “There was a sneaker standing there. The girl it belongs to is dead.”
Trier, in the wine-growing region of the Mosel Valley, boasts several Roman ruins and prides itself as being the oldest city in Germany. Its main pedestrian area, which includes a Roman gate and a market square lined with medieval buildings, would normally host a bustling Christmas market. Trier, in the wine-growing region of the Mosel River valley, boasts several Roman ruins and prides itself as being the oldest city in Germany. Its main pedestrian area, which includes a Roman gate and a market square lined with medieval buildings, would normally host a bustling Christmas market.
Pictures from the scene on Tuesday showed dozens of ambulances and police cars parked on the cobbled streets of central Trier, decorated for the holiday season with green garlands. Christmas markets in Germany have been largely canceled as part of efforts to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, but stores are still open.Pictures from the scene on Tuesday showed dozens of ambulances and police cars parked on the cobbled streets of central Trier, decorated for the holiday season with green garlands. Christmas markets in Germany have been largely canceled as part of efforts to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, but stores are still open.
In December 2016, a 24-year-old Tunisian drove a truck into a Christmas market in Berlin, killing 12 people before slipping the country to Milan, where he was killed in a shootout with Italian police several days later.In December 2016, a 24-year-old Tunisian drove a truck into a Christmas market in Berlin, killing 12 people before slipping the country to Milan, where he was killed in a shootout with Italian police several days later.
Following that attack, German cities began installing barriers to protect such markets and other street festivals where large numbers of people gather, but there was no such protection in place for the pedestrian street, Mr. Leibe said. “No one can expect to be killed while strolling through the city center,” Mr. Leibe said of the incident on Tuesday. “What motivates a person to do such a thing? Of course, I have no answer to that question.”
“If we had a Christmas market now like we do every year, we would have secured the city center with bollards,” he said.
Survivors of the victims from the Berlin attack reached out to authorities in Trier to express their solidarity, Mr. Leibe said. He also thanked authorities from neighboring Luxembourg and France for offering help.
“No one can expect to be killed while strolling through the city center,” Mr. Leibe said. “What motivates a person to do such a thing? Of course, I have no answer to that question.”