Sunday, October 8

Car ramming of London pedestrians. So it was a "road traffic incident," eh?

I wonder if the editors of the Daily Mail are having a problem with Scotland Yard's decision that the car ramming of pedestrians yesterday in London was a traffic accident rather than a terrorist attack. 

Anyhow, from the latest report, it turns out that three civilians were the ones who initially tackled the driver of the vehicle that rammed pedestrians. From the Mail's updated report:
Pixie Lott's fiance told how he pinned down a taxi driver who had injured 11 people after mounting a pavement [sidewalk] and running over pedestrians outside London's Natural History Museum.
Model Oliver Cheshire, 29, was sat in his Jaguar in Kensington when the man, said to be an Uber driver, ploughed into his vehicle.

He immediately leapt into action and helped apprehend the man, who he said was screaming on the ground.

Police have tonight ruled out terrorism and described the crash as a 'road traffic incident'.
A man aged in his 40s was arrested at the scene on suspicion of dangerous driving and was taken to hospital for treatment before being taken to a north London police station for questioning.
It comes as the country's current terror threat level stands at severe following a string of attacks this year and many witnesses feared the worst as panic ensued following the crash.
Mr Cheshire told MailOnline the cab driver had three female passengers in his car at the time of the crash.
He said: ‘He was driving down the pavement and hit 11 to 12 people.
Then the guy was screaming. He looked at me and I was really in shock. I got out of my car and grabbed him — three of us grabbed him — and someone phoned the police.
'The girls in his car said he was an Uber driver.'

Counter-terrorism officers were dispatched to the scene which has remained cordoned off following the crash.
Footage shows hundreds of terrified tourists fleeing as the black Toyota Prius - a registered minicab - careered into a sign before ultimately crashing into a crowd. The vehicle also hit a silver Vauxhall and Mr Cheshire's Jaguar.
[...]
From the Beeb's latest report on the incident (Natural History Museum crash 'not terror-related'):
... London Ambulance said the people it treated - including the detained man - had mostly sustained head and leg injuries. Nine were taken to hospital.
The Met said none of the injuries were believed to be life-threatening or life changing.
Prime Minister Theresa May tweeted her thanks to first responders and members of the public, adding: "My thoughts are with the injured."
London Mayor Sadiq Khan also tweeted his thanks and hopes for a "swift recovery" for those injured.
"For Londoners and visitors planning to visit our excellent museums and attractions in the area, please be assured they will be open as usual tomorrow."
See also my post on the Mail's initial report on the incident, which the Mail had headlined, "Taxi driver 'deliberately mows down pedestrians' after mounting the pavement outside London's Natural History Museum before being pinned to the ground and arrested in front of stunned tourists"

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