A driver plowed into a busy shopping area in Leipzig, Germany, on Monday, killing two people and injuring three others in what officials believe was a deliberate attack. The 33-year-old German citizen was detained at the scene and is under investigation on suspicion of murder and attempted murder. This incident adds to a long list of vehicle-ramming cases worldwide that have claimed lives or left survivors badly injured.
Recent High-Profile Incidents
In July 2025, at least 37 people were injured when a car was driven onto a sidewalk and into a crowd outside a Los Angeles nightclub. The 29-year-old driver was shot by bystanders and faces dozens of attempted murder charges. In May 2025, a 53-year-old British man plowed his minivan into a crowd of Liverpool soccer fans celebrating their Premier League championship, injuring more than 45 people. In April 2025, a 30-year-old man drove an Audi SUV into a festival crowd in Vancouver, killing 11 and injuring 32; he was charged with multiple counts of murder, with officials citing a history of mental health issues.
On New Year's Day 2025, a 42-year-old U.S. citizen from Texas rammed a vehicle into pedestrians in New Orleans' French Quarter, killing 15 and injuring dozens. The suspect, Shamsud-Din Jabbar, was killed in a firefight with police. In December 2024, a 50-year-old Saudi doctor drove into a Christmas market in Magdeburg, Germany, killing five and injuring over 200. He was arrested and found to support Germany's far-right AfD party.
Major Cases in China and the United States
In November 2024, a 62-year-old driver in Zhuhai, China, rammed his car into people exercising at a sports complex, killing 35. He pleaded guilty to endangering public safety and was sentenced to death. In Wisconsin, a man drove his SUV through a Christmas parade in Waukesha in 2021, killing six and injuring dozens. Darrell Brooks Jr. was sentenced to life in prison without parole.
Attacks with Ideological Motives
In London, Ontario, in June 2021, a white nationalist drove a pickup truck into a Muslim family, killing four. Nathaniel Veltman was sentenced to life in prison. In Toronto in 2018, Alek Minassian drove a rental van into pedestrians on Yonge Street, killing 10 and injuring 16. He told police he was part of an online "incel" community and was sentenced to life in prison.
In New York in 2017, an Islamic extremist from Uzbekistan drove a pickup truck onto a bike path, killing eight. Sayfullo Saipov was convicted of terrorism and sentenced to 10 life sentences plus 260 years in prison. In Barcelona, a van was driven onto Las Ramblas in 2017, killing 14; the Islamic State group claimed responsibility. In Charlottesville, Virginia, a white supremacist drove his car into counterprotesters in 2017, killing one woman and injuring dozens; James Alex Fields Jr. received a life sentence.
Attacks in the United Kingdom and Europe
In London in 2017, three attackers drove a van into pedestrians on London Bridge and then stabbed people, killing eight. In another London attack, Khalid Masood drove an SUV onto Westminster Bridge in 2017, killing four, and then fatally stabbed a police officer. In Berlin in 2016, a rejected asylum-seeker from Tunisia drove a truck into a Christmas market, killing 13. In Nice, France, in 2016, a Tunisian-born resident drove a truck along the promenade on Bastille Day, killing 86 in the deadliest attack of its kind.
Other Notable Incidents
In Melbourne, Australia, in 2017, a man drove a car into a pedestrian mall, killing six and injuring more than 30. He was found to be in a drug-induced psychosis and sentenced to life. In Stillwater, Oklahoma, in 2015, a woman drove into a homecoming parade crowd, killing four and injuring many; she received four concurrent life sentences. In the Netherlands in 2009, a former security guard drove into parade spectators, killing six, in an attempt to hit a bus carrying the Dutch royal family. In Chapel Hill, North Carolina, in 2006, a graduate drove an SUV into a crowd, injuring nine, in a self-professed bid to avenge Muslim deaths overseas. In Santa Monica, California, in 2003, an 86-year-old man crashed into a farmers' market, killing 10 and injuring dozens.
