LIVERPOOL, England — The driver suspected of attempted murder for plowing into a crowd of Liverpool soccer fans celebrating their team’s Premier League championship was ordered held an additional day for questioning, police said Wednesday.
Seven people remained hospitalized in stable condition as the number of wounded was increased to nearly 80 people, Merseyside Police said. That number has nearly doubled since Monday as police learned of additional injuries.
The city had been celebrating Liverpool’s record-tying 20th title when the driver turned down a street that was closed to traffic and rammed into a sea of fans, transforming a day of joy into a catastrophe.
Police said the 53-year-old British man in custody also is suspected of being high on drugs and driving dangerously. They believe he dodged a roadblock by following an ambulance that was rushing to treat someone of a suspected heart attack.
The driver has not been identified, which is typical in Britain when a suspect has not been charged with a crime.
Police had to get an extension to hold the man longer than 48 hours and will have to either charge him with a crime by Thursday evening or set him free.
