Car rams into crowd at Christmas event in French territory of Guadeloupe; 23 injured
The emergency services reported 23 injured, 19 of whom were transported to the University Hospital and the Eaux Claires clinic
A person drove a vehicle into a crowd during preparations for a Christmas event in Sainte-Anne, in the French overseas region of Guadeloupe, on Friday (local time). According to a report by La1ere Franceinfo, the incident is said to have left at least 23 injured.
The report stated that emergency services reported 23 injured people due to the accident, with 19 of them being transported to the University Hospital and the Eaux Claires clinic. Among them were 6 children. As of Saturday morning, all remained hospitalised in stable condition.
The driver, a 45-year-old man from Sainte-Anne, had a blood alcohol level of 1.5 grams per litre and also tested positive for cannabis, Franceinfo quoted the deputy prosecutor of Pointe-à-Pitre, Alexandra Onfray, as saying.
“He is being prosecuted for causing traffic injuries with two aggravating circumstances: driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol. He is to be brought before a judge and tried in an expedited hearing with a deferred examination, due to the possible evolution of the victims' health,” Onfray said.
The prosecution is considering requesting that the court put the arrested driver in pre-trial detention. The 45-year-old's court appearance is pending.
Similar incident in Los Angeles
Earlier this year, in July, at least 30 people were injured when a vehicle drove into a crowd waiting in line outside an East Hollywood nightclub, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department, CNN reported at the time.
Arriving firefighters found that a vehicle had driven through a large number of people in front of the Vermont Hollywood music venue.
"They drove through a taco stand, through the valet podium, and then through the crowd of people that were waiting to go inside," Captain Adam VanGerpen, public information officer for the Los Angeles City Fire Department, told CNN at the time.
"It was a very chaotic scene," VanGerpen added.
After the car halted, the bystanders fished the driver out and physically assaulted him, according to Jeff Lee, public information officer with the Los Angeles Police Department. During the altercation, one of the bystanders shot the driver, Lee said.
Police believe the driver was intoxicated, a law enforcement official briefed on the situation told CNN.
There is no indication beyond the impaired state of the driver that there was any other criminal intent or connection to terrorism, the official said.
(This story has been updated in light of new information).
