Financial Police patrol a scene after a car incident in a street of Modena, Italy. (Photo: AP)
Eight people were injured, two seriously, after a man drove a car into pedestrians in the northern Italian city of Modena on Saturday, according to The Guardian.
Police said the driver, a man in his 30s, was arrested at the scene. Reports said the car mounted the pavement in a central area of the city and struck several people before crashing into a shop window.
Modena’s mayor, Massimo Mezzetti, told the Ansa news agency that the driver had “aimed for the pavement, hitting a bike” and then crashed “head-on” into a woman. He said the woman suffered severe injuries to her legs.
The driver is an Italian national from Bergamo and lives in the Modena area, the mayor added.
Attempt to flee and alleged knife threat
Authorities said the man tried to flee after the crash. Witnesses told Italian media that several people chased and stopped him.
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Blood is seen next to a destroyed car on a street of Modena, Italy. (Photo: P)
One witness told Ansa the driver reappeared “with a knife in his hand”. Mezzetti said the man was seen holding a knife and “seems like he was trying to hit someone”, but no stabbing was reported.
Injuries and response
The two most seriously injured victims were taken to Maggiore hospital in Bologna.
One injured man told Rai news he saw the car coming “at high speed” and heard “people being hit”. He said he managed to move out of the way in time, as per The Guardian report.
The same witness said the driver appeared to be under the influence of alcohol or drugs, though this has not been confirmed by officials.
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Investigation underway
Mezzetti said the motive behind the incident is still unclear. “We need to understand what’s behind this act,” he said, adding that the event was “extremely serious”. He also thanked those who helped stop the driver, saying they showed “courage and great civic sense”.
Italy’s prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, said she stood with those injured and their families.
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Financial Police patrol a scene after a car incident in a street of Modena, Italy. (Photo: AP) 
