Berlin: one dead, twelve teenagers injured… What we know about the crazy car that hit passers-by

A crazy car drove into passers-by on Wednesday June 8 in a central artery of Berlin, Germany. Result: a teacher killed and a dozen injured. Here’s what we know about the drama. Germany is in shock. A car hit passersby on Wednesday morning June 8, 2022 in the center of Berlin, killing a teacher and injuring a dozen students who were on a school trip to the capital. Several hours after the tragedy, here is what we know. The facts The driver, whose gesture remains incomprehensible, hit passers-by “before continuing his race” for about 150 to 200 meters, then finishing it in a window, explained the police. The driver, whose motives remain unknown, ended his mad dash in a perfumery. AFP – ODD ANDERSEN It was around 10:30 a.m. (08:30 GMT) that the vehicle, a metallic gray Renault Clio, crashed into the window of a perfume store, after hitting a group of pedestrians, not far from the places where In 2016, a deadly ram truck attack took place. The driver “left at high speed on the sidewalk but he did not brake”, then “he left on the road and fled”, says a witness to AFP. Another witness, who refused to give his identity, described to AFP how he ran into “a group of students” aged “15 to 16 years old” before running a red light and continuing on their way ” at an excessive speed”. A rescue helicopter flew over the area. AFP – JOHN MACDOUGALL The crowds were great at this time of day in this commercial and tourist district located near the zoological garden, to the west of the capital. A teacher killed, more than a dozen injured The toll is heavy: a teacher was killed and the emergency services counted “more than a dozen injured”, six of whom are “between life and death” and three others are “seriously injured”. Once the place was secured, the emergency services rushed to help the victims. AFP – ODD ANDERSEN Among the injured are teenagers from the Land of Hesse (west) who were on a school trip to Berlin, according to the authorities in this region. In addition to the deceased teacher, another of their teachers was seriously injured. “I was sitting near the fountain and I heard a loud noise, then I saw a person fly in the air” after being hit, told AFP a witness, Frank Vittchen. The driver arrested The driver, a 29-year-old German-Armenian, was overpowered by passers-by before being arrested. He was hospitalized. Police say they don’t know at this stage whether he acted intentionally or not. “So far we have no tangible evidence of a political act,” said Berlin police chief Barbara Slowik at the end of the day. In the evening, a representative of the Berlin administration, Iris Spranger indicated on Twitter that “according to the latest information”, the act seems to have been “committed by a person suffering from mental disorders”. An impressive police force was deployed. AFP – JOHN MACDOUGALL Reports of the discovery of a protest letter in the vehicle have been denied. Writings containing remarks “about Turkey” were however discovered in the car, according to a representative of the Berlin administration Iris Spranger. Ongoing investigation “The investigation is ongoing and it is too early to speculate on the motives” of the act, said a spokesman for the Ministry of the Interior. Amazement in Germany The facts aroused amazement, the social-democratic mayor of Berlin, Franziska Giffey, saying she was “deeply upset”, just like the German government. John Barrowman, British actor famous for having notably played in the series Doctor Who or Desperate Housewives, was present on the scene at the time of the tragedy. He reported the facts live on Twitter. “I was in a store when I heard the crash. I went out and saw the carnage,” the actor told Bluebird. “The police presence is incredible”, “There are hundreds of ambulances”, he continued. Initially believing he was witnessing a “terrorist attack”, John Barrowman said he hid behind a tree fearing another offensive. We think we have witnessed a terrorist attack here in Berlin we’re not sure there’s a lot of people dead bodies all over the place we’ve seen a car that came down the road and ended up in a storefront covering three city blocks it’s pretty horrible #berlin pic.twitter.com/Xp1bkZBGt0— John Barrowman MBE (@JohnBarrowman) June 8, 2022 The facts took place near the Memorial Church, a landmark monument in the western part of the German capital, located on the one of Berlin’s busiest shopping streets, the Kurfürstendamm. It is also there that on December 19, 2016, an Islamist attack with a ram truck killed 12 people on a Christmas market located at the foot of the church.