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Another intentional car crash, this time in Las Vegas, has left one dead and 36 injured, and officials debate whether to treat it as an attack or another sign that America’s care for the mentally ill is lacking.
A woman swerved multiple times onto a busy sidewalk on the famous Las Vegas Strip on Sunday, leaving police confident she crashed intentionally but unsure why.
An 11-year-old child was among those injured when the female driver, who is now in custody, ploughed through a crowd sending people “flying through the air”, in the words of one witness.
The incident occurred at around 6.40pm on the Las Vegas strip in front of the Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino, where the Miss Universe pageant was nearing its finale inside. It was not immediately clear whether the event was deliberately targeted.
According to police, at least 36 people were injured and 26 of those were taken to hospital. Of the worst victims, seven were described by the authorities as being in critical condition.
Las Vegas Metropolitan Police’s deputy chief Brett Zimmerman told reporters at around 11.15pm local time that an initial investigation had concluded the crash “was intentional”.
He said police had nonetheless ruled out the crash being an “act of terrorism”. The US is on high alert after 14 were killed in a mass shooting on San Bernadino, California, the worst terror attack on American soil since 9/11.
Earlier, Zimmerman told reporters the female driver initially fled the scene but had since been detained and was being tested for alcohol and drugs. A three-year-old child was inside the car at the time of the crash.
“This is a huge tragedy that occurred on our strip,” said Peter Boffelli, a spokesman for the wider Las Vegas Police Department.
Tourist Rabia Qureshi, visiting from Wisconsin, told broadcaster KSNV that she saw victims “flying through the air” when the car crashed into the throng of people.
“The car was like a bowling ball and the human bodies were like pins,” she said.
Agencies/Canadajournal
