Vehicle crashes into a group of people in Germany, four injured and suspicions they knew the perpetrator

A group of people was hit by a car shortly before midnight in Neustadt am Rübenberge, a town in Lower Saxony in northern Germany. A local police spokesperson confirmed the report.

According to witnesses, a BMW was deliberately driven toward the group. The collision injured four to five people, who suffered injuries ranging from minor to serious.

All those injured were taken to hospital for treatment. Authorities said none of them was in life-threatening condition.

Local media reported that the incident occurred during a traffic check.

After the incident, the suspected perpetrator or perpetrators abandoned the vehicle at the scene and fled on foot. Police were unable to arrest them, while initial efforts to locate them proved unsuccessful.

The motive for the collision has not yet been determined. “The chronology of the act and the exact extent of the individuals’ involvement are still under investigation,” the police spokesperson said.

Preliminary information from investigators suggests that the people involved may have known one another. It is also suspected that the group was deliberately targeted and hit, rather than by accident.