Car Plows into Crowd in Germany, Resulting in One Fatality and Multiple Injuries – Authorities Report

A vehicle has crashed into a crowd in Mannheim, Germany, resulting in at least one fatality and multiple injuries, according to police reports, who also noted that one individual has been apprehended.

Police with firearms have cordoned off the inner city, where a damaged vehicle was observed with its front window shattered.

Since December, two ramming incidents in different cities have resulted in eight fatalities.

Last May, Mannheim was the site of a stabbing incident at an anti-Islam demonstration, which left one police officer dead and five others injured.

The incident took place near the city’s iconic water tower.

“We can now confirm that a vehicle was driven into a pedestrian zone, resulting in one death,” police spokesman Stefan Wilhelm stated, noting that several individuals were hurt.

“One suspect has been arrested,” he added, while emphasizing that “the investigation is ongoing”.

Wilhelm advised local residents to “steer clear of the inner city area” due to the significant police activity.

Heavily armed officers secured the vicinity and police helicopters were observed overhead.

According to the Bild newspaper, two fatalities and 25 injuries have been reported from the incident, with images depicting ambulances near the city’s historic water tower.

A correspondent from news channel NTV reported seeing “at least one person covered with a tarp,” along with children’s shoes scattered amidst the debris.

Authorities urged residents to refrain from entering the downtown area and to remain indoors as the neighborhood was largely cleared.

The Baden-Wuerttemberg state interior ministry issued a warning about a “life-threatening situation” via its disaster alert app.

The intensive care unit at Mannheim’s university hospital has declared a disaster alert status.

Several German cities have experienced violent incidents recently, including stabbings and car ramming attacks attributed to asylum seekers.

Last month, a man drove his car into a union demonstration in Munich, claiming the lives of a two-year-old girl and her mother.

In December, a car-ramming incident at a Christmas market in Magdeburg resulted in six deaths and numerous injuries.

Mannheim itself was previously the scene of a stabbing attack at an anti-Islam rally last May, leading to one police officer’s death and injuring five additional individuals.

Authorities have remained vigilant amidst the peak of the traditional German carnival celebrations leading up to Lent.

Interior Minister Nancy Faeser stated prior to the Mannheim incident that the festivities were being conducted “with heightened security measures”.

Thousands of revelers had participated in Mannheim’s carnival parade the day before.

Ms. Faeser canceled her attendance at the Rose Monday parade in Cologne to respond to the situation in Mannheim.

Security concerns were a significant topic in last month’s general election, which concluded with a victory for the center-right CDU/CSU party.