Berlin, SAEDNEWS, Dec. 1: Five people died and more than a dozen others were injured in the western German city of Trier on Tuesday afternoon after being struck by a vehicle that tore through a pedestrian zone. Authorities said the driver was a 51-year-old German man from the Trier area without a prior police record. He was arrested within minutes of the first call to police and the vehicle was seized.
Among the victims was a 9-week-old baby, whose mother is being treated in the hospital for injuries sustained during the incident. Police later told Germany's DPA news agency that a 45-year-old man killed in the incident was the baby's father. The family's 18-month-old son is in the hospital with injuries.
Other victims include a 73-year-old woman, 25-year-old woman and a 52-year-old woman. All of them are residents of the city of Trier, police vice president Franz-Dieter Ankner said.
Police said the car was a Land Rover sports utility vehicle that the man had borrowed. He had no fixed address and appeared to have been living in the car in the days leading up to the attack.
It is currently unclear why the man drove the car through the pedestrian zone, however, investigators said the man did appear to intend to cause harm, as he drove "in a zigzag pattern" so as to strike people walking along.
Public prosecutor Peter Fritzen told reporters the man had a high blood alcohol content after a test was performed following his arrest.
He added the man could be suffering from mental illness and will undergo a psychiatric evaluation.
"We have no indication that there was any kind of a terrorist, political or religious motive that could have played a role,'' Fritzen said.
Authorities have urged the public to avoid spreading rumors about the incident, saying they would continue to provide information as the investigation progresses (DWTV).
