Seven people, two seriously, were injured this Saturday when a car ran over several pedestrians in the center of Modena, a city in northern Italy, according to police. Four of them are said to be in serious condition, local press reports.
The police indicated that the driver, a 31-year-old man, was arrested and that there was no further danger.
Italian media reported that the car crashed into a shop window after running over several people, and that the driver stabbed a passerby who tried to stop him
“We saw the car coming, it was heading towards the sidewalk. Suddenly it accelerated. It was going at least 100 kilometers per hour, we saw people flying,” some witnesses said.
In the first impact, a person on a bicycle was knocked down and then a woman. A neighbor, Luca Signorelli, came to her aid, according to a witness who told the Ansa agency: “While I was trying to help the lady, whose legs had been crushed, the driver fled. So I chased him, and meanwhile, four or five other people followed me. He disappeared behind a bunch of cars and then reappeared with a knife in his hand. He was mumbling something, but it was not Italian,” he explained.
Initial reports indicate that the detainee is, however, a 31-year-old Italian, born in the town of Seriate, in Bergamo, residing in Modena, with foreign parents originally from North Africa, Morocco, according to Italian media. He is being interrogated at the police station and has no criminal record. According to one of the witnesses, interviewed by the Italian public television, Rai, “he seemed to be under the influence of alcohol or drugs, in any case he was not in normal condition. He ran out of the car, we chased him between five or six of us, he was carrying a knife and I had to disarm him.”
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The incident took place on Via Emilia in the city center. Police officers and emergency services arrived at the scene and an investigation has already been opened.
According to one of the witnesses, interviewed by the Italian public television, Rai, “he seemed to be under the influence of alcohol or drugs, in any case he was not in normal condition. He ran out of the car, we chased him between five or six of us, he was carrying a knife and I had to disarm him.”
The mayor of Modena, Massimo Mezzetti, reconstructed what happened in a video published on Facebook. “Fortunately, there are no fatalities. In the videos, you can see that the man entered the main street and launched himself onto the sidewalk, running over several people,” before crashing into a shop window and crushing a woman on impact. “We send all our solidarity to the injured.”
“He was seen with a weapon in his hand, but he did not manage to stab anyone,” the mayor clarifies. “It seems he tried to attack someone.”
The prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, is following the events in Modena “with the utmost attention” from Greece and is in constant contact with the Minister of the Interior, Matteo Piantedosi, and the Undersecretary of the Presidency, Alfredo Mantovano, who is also responsible for the secret services. A fact that gives an idea of the level of alert.
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