A black cab jumped up on the pavement and plowed into a crowd of shocked shoppers just before 5 P.M. on Wednesday at the Covent Garden in Central London. A distrubing photo emerged showing the horrific scene, with shoppers down and injured next to the still black cab. Multiple injuries have been reported.
A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: ‘Police were called at 17:01hrs to reports of a taxi in collision with pedestrians in Southampton Street WC2.”
Metropolitan Police has also confirmed that the incident is not terror related. The spokesperson continued, “Officers and the other emergency services attended the scene. We are aware of injuries but await further confirmation.”
“The driver of the taxi stopped at the scene and has been detained by police,” said the police spokesman. “This is being treated as a serious road traffic collision, and not thought to be terrorist related. ”
One person was trapped underneath the taxi, following the crash. The name of the person driving the cab has not been released.
Stuart Crichton of London Ambulance Service said, “A man was treated for a serious leg injury and taken to a major trauma centre as a priority.
“Two other patients were treated for minor injuries and also taken to hospital. A fourth patient was checked over at the scene.”
Witness, Daan Fuldner, tweeted: ‘A f****** cab just crashed into the sidewalk at #CoventGarden and everyone ran away panicking.”
“Area cleared by private security and Mets, at least 10 cops present within 2 mins,” tweeted out Fuldner. “Lots of sirens, more police coming right now.”
“Cops clearing more space, want to keep the area clear but seem very much on edge,” tweeted the witness.
“More police, area around cab clear. Seems to be no danger but still lots of officers around and keep asking people to leave,” wrote Fuldner.
One witness, Adam Lake, said: “Never seen so much panic. People running. All Covent Garden and Strand closed off.”
As a result of the incident, several roads were closed “due to a serious collision,” according to the Transport for London authority.
The Covent Garden is an extremely popular tourist destination. The area is full of shops, restaurants, and a busy market.
This story is breaking. Check back as more develops…
Was this a terrorist attack?
A black cab drove up on the curb and smashed into shoppers at the Covent Garden in Central London on Wednesday. Metropolitan Police don’t believe the crash/attack was terror-related. However, the name of the driver has not been released. It isn’t know why the cab crashed into a crowd of shoppers. Whether it is accidental or intentional has yet to be revealed. Police believe the incident to be a traffic collision and not terrorism.
