Dozens injured after car plows into Mardi Gras crowd in New Orleans

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Dozens injured after car plows into Mardi Gras crowd in New Orleans
Authorities suspect man in custody was 'highly intoxicated,' says New Orleans police chief
The Associated Press Posted: Feb 25, 2017 9:14 PM ET Last Updated: Feb 25, 2017 10:29 PM ET

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Police stand next to a pickup truck that slammed into a crowd and other vehicles, causing multiple injuries, coming to a stop against a dump truck, during the Krewe of Endymion parade in New Orleans on Saturday. (Gerald Herbert/Associated Press)

A suspect is in custody after 28 people were injured Saturday when a vehicle plowed into a crowd watching the Krewe of Endymion parade in the Mid-City section of New Orleans, police said.

Police Chief Michael Harrison said the suspect is being investigated for driving while intoxicated. Harrison was asked twice by the media if terrorism was suspected. While he didn't say "No" he did say it looks like a case of DWI.

"We suspect that that subject was highly intoxicated," he said.

Twenty-one people were hospitalized after the crash with five victims in guarded condition. Seven others declined to be hospitalized, city Emergency Services Director, Dr. Jeff Selder said.

The victims range in age from as young as three or four-years-old to adults in their 30s and 40s, said Selder.

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A woman talks on a phone at the scene of where a truck slammed into a crowd and other vehicles. (Gerald Herbert/Associated Press)

Among the injured was one New Orleans police officer. Harrison said the officer, who was on duty, was undergoing tests to determine the extent of her injuries. She was in "good spirits," he said.

The accident came during one of the busiest nights of Mardi Gras when thousands of people throng the streets of Mid-City to watch the elaborate floats and clamor to catch beads and trinkets tossed from riders. As police and city officials were assessing the accident scene, people were streaming home as plastic bags that used to hold trinkets and discarded beads littered the ground. The area where the accident occurred was cordoned off with police barricades.
 
Mardi Gras: DWI suspected in crash that hurt 28 at New Orleans parade
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The Associated Press
Published on: February 26, 2017 | Last Updated: February 26, 2017 12:15 PM EST
new-orleans-emergency-personnel-attend-to-an-injured-parade.jpeg

New Orleans emergency personnel attend to an injured parade watcher after a pickup truck plowed into a crowd injuring multiple people watching the Krewe of Endymion parade in the Mid-City section of New Orleans, Saturday, Feb. 25, 2017. Police Chief Michael Harrison says one person in custody and that he is being investigated for driving while intoxicated. Scott Threlkeld / AP
By Rebecca Santana

NEW ORLEANS — Authorities on Sunday identified the man who allegedly plowed into a crowd enjoying a Mardi Gras parade in New Orleans while intoxicated.

The New Orleans Police Department issued a statement identifying the man as 25-year-old Neilson Rizzuto. Online jail records showed Rizzuto was arrested on a number of charges and was being held at the city’s jail.

The accident came Saturday during one of the busiest nights of Mardi Gras when thousands of people throng the streets of Mid-City to watch the elaborate floats and clamour to catch beads and trinkets tossed from riders.

“We suspect that that subject was highly intoxicated,” Police Chief Michael Harrison had said on Saturday evening.

Harrison was asked by the media if terrorism was suspected. While he didn’t say “No,” he did say it looks like a case of DWI.

Twenty-one people were hospitalized after the crash with five victims taken to the trauma centre in guarded condition. However, their conditions did not seem to be life-threatening, said Dr. Jeff Elder, city emergency services director.

Seven others declined to be hospitalized, he said.

The victims range in age from as young as 3 or 4 to adults in their 30s and 40s, Elder said.

Among the injured was one New Orleans police officer. Harrison said the officer, who was on duty, was undergoing tests to determine the extent of her injuries. She was in “good spirits,” he said.

As police and city officials assessed the accident scene, people streamed home as plastic bags that used to hold trinkets and discarded beads littered the ground.

Saturday night’s parade was put on by the Krewe of Endymion, which is known for its long, elaborate floats and the big party it hosts at the Superdome after the parade.

One woman at the scene told The New Orleans Advocate (http://bit.ly/2miOHGP) that a silver truck whisked closely by her as she was walking through the intersection.

Carrie Kinsella said, “I felt a rush it was so fast.”

Kourtney McKinnis, 20, told the Advocate that the driver of the truck seemed almost unaware of what he had just done.

“He was just kind of out of it,” she said.
 
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