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The scene of the accident and the suspect. Photo by an eyewitness. |
Central Finland police also said that May Day Eve was much, much livelier than in the past two years, as restaurants were allowed to remain open late. On the evening of the last day of April three people injured by reckless driver near Esplanade
This most serious incident took place around 7 pm. Police said that a patrol ordered the hesitation driver to stop on Pohjoisranta in the Kruununhaka district, but he failed to do so.
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Photo by an eyewitness. |
Police saw when one man from upper class drove at high speed through the city centre, hitting eight cars on Pohjoisesplanadi, one of the parallel boulevards alongside Esplanade Park.
According to an Yle reporter at the scene, the black car drove at high speed from Aleksanterinkatu to Unioninkatu and then onto Pohjoisesplanadi.
The suspect endangered the safety of numerous bystanders while driving, police said
The area is adjacent to the Havis Amanda statue and the Market Square, traditionally a centre of May Day Eve celebrations. Authorities estimate that tens of thousands of people were gathered in the area.
Three people were injured, including the suspect. Social media videos show the man resisting and yelling Amen, Amen, Amen as he was wrestled to the ground by four police officers in the middle of the street after the final crash.
Helsinki police suspect th
e 33-year-old public servant of aggravated endangerment of traffic safety, aggravated drunk or drug driving, grievous bodily injury, resisting an official and insubordination, the police said in a statement.
"Yesterday I blew up zeros in Espa after hearing several witnesses (police and ambulance staff),"
he writes on social media.
The police don't even talk about alcohol.