New Orleans Mayor: No Evidence Car Slamming Into Parade Was Terrorist Attack
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell said Sunday there is no evidence to indicate that the car crash that injured dozens during a Mardi Gras parade was a terrorist attack.
Cantrell said at a news conference that officials “have no indication to support an intentional act.”
The mayor said the driver would be tested to determine whether he was impaired and what might have led up to the incident.
The city will review safety protocols for large events, Cantrell said. The car’s driver was in custody and city police are handling the investigation, she said.
The city will also review parade routes, barricades and other safety measures that are in place during special events, Cantrell said.
“It is a difficult time for us right now, but we will get through it,” she said.
Cantrell did not give the number of injured during the parade Saturday night in the Mid-City section of New Orleans. The area is a wide boulevard where thousands of people line the street to watch the elaborate floats and bands during the annual Krewe of Endymion parade.
The crash is being investigated by the police department’s fatality unit, department spokesman Aaron Looney said.
Videos taken by bystanders showed a dark-colored car speeding down the center of the street, hitting multiple people and smashing into a city dump truck and other vehicles.
“I saw this car just flying down the street,” said Greg White, who was hit in the back by the car. “I thought it was some kind of stunt.”
White, a tourist from Los Angeles, said he ran for his life after reaching safety.
Several people were injured, with some sent to the hospital in critical condition.
The city’s emergency medical services director, Dr. Emily Nichols, said during a news conference late Saturday that another three dozen or so people were treated and released.
The Krewe of Endymion is known for its long parades, featuring dozens of floats with bands and costumed riders.
The crash occurred near where a man drove into a crowd of parade spectators in 2017, pushing a pickup truck through a barrier and into a group of people. The man pleaded guilty to dozens of charges in 2019 and was sentenced to 49 1/2 years in prison.
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Follow AP’s coverage of the New Orleans car crash at https://apnews.com/article/new-orleans-car-into-crowd-terrorist-attack-barriers-361d9acb509a37a7b7ec1253e32ec3ce.