Eight injured after car plows into pedestrians in Modena, Italy; driver arrested

Eight people were injured, two seriously, on Saturday after a car rammed into a group of pedestrians in the northern Italian city of Modena, authorities said.

Police arrested the driver, a man in his 30s, who is also alleged to have attempted to stab a passerby who tried to stop him from fleeing the scene.

According to Italian press reports, the car crashed into a shop window after hitting pedestrians on a road in the central area of the city.

Modena Mayor Massimo Mezzetti told the Ansa news agency that the driver “aimed for the pavement, hitting a bike” before crashing “head-on” into a woman, whose legs were crushed on impact.

The mayor said the driver is an Italian national born in the Lombardy city of Bergamo and of North African origin, adding that he lives in the Modena area.

The two seriously injured pedestrians were taken to Maggiore Hospital in Bologna, according to local reports.

Mezzetti said the circumstances of the incident were still unclear, noting that authorities are investigating the motive.

Italian press reports said four or five people helped capture the driver after chasing him. One man told Ansa that the driver disappeared behind parked cars before reappearing, allegedly “with a knife in his hand.”

Mezzetti said “he was seen with a knife in his hand, but he didn’t manage to stab anyone. It seems like he was trying to hit someone.” He added: “We need to understand what’s behind this act. But it was a dramatic event. I am deeply shaken. Whatever it was, it was extremely serious. If it turns out to be an attack, that would be even more serious.”

The mayor thanked the people who helped capture the driver, saying “they showed courage and great civic sense.”

One injured pedestrian told Rai news that he saw the car crash onto the pavement “at high speed” and heard the sound of “people being hit.” The man said he managed to jump out of the way, and added that the driver appeared to be under the influence of alcohol or drugs, although authorities have not confirmed this.

In a social media post, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni expressed solidarity “with those who were injured and their families.”