Eight people were injured, two seriously, on Saturday after a car rammed into a group of pedestrians in the northern Italian city of Modena. Police said the driver, in his 30s, has been arrested. He is also alleged to have attempted to stab a passerby who tried to stop him from fleeing.
The car crashed into a shop window after hitting pedestrians on a central road, according to Italian press reports. Modena's mayor, Massimo Mezzetti, said the driver 'aimed for the pavement, hitting a bike' before crashing 'head-on' into a woman, whose legs were crushed.
The driver is an Italian national born in Bergamo, of north African origin, and lives in the Modena area. The two seriously injured pedestrians were taken to Maggiore hospital in Bologna. Mayor Mezzetti said the circumstances remain unclear.
Italian press reports said four or five people helped capture the driver after chasing him. One man told Ansa the driver reappeared from behind parked cars 'with a knife in his hand'. Mezzetti confirmed he was seen with a knife but did not stab anyone, adding: 'We need to understand what's behind this act.'
One injured pedestrian told Rai news he saw the car hit the pavement 'at high speed' and heard 'people being hit'. He said the driver appeared under the influence of alcohol or drugs, though authorities have not confirmed this. Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni expressed solidarity with the injured and their families.
