At least 20 people have been left injured in Munich after a Mini Cooper ploughed through a crowd of 1,000 strikers.
Footage from the scene has captured people lying on the ground while surrounded by emergency workers after the vehicle crashed though the Dachauer Straße area this morning.
It is understood that a mother pushing her child in a pram was among those wounded.
The driver, a 24-year-old Afghan man according to police, was seen being pinned to the ground in footage following the incident. Munich Police took to social media to reassure that the driver was secured on site and ‘currently poses no further danger’.
The incident comes as world defence leaders including US Vice-President JD Vance and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky gather in the Bavarian city for a major security conference.
At least 20 people, including a child, were injured after the driver reportedly accelerated into demonstrators linked with the Verdi trade union on Seidlstrasse at around 10:30am.
Eyewitnesses told the German newspaper that two men were in the Mini and shots were fired before the driver was detained. There is currently a major police operation in the , local police have stated on X/Twitter.
On social media, one witness, a German journalist, said the incident left people ‘crying and shaking’ on the ground.
Members of the emergency services work at the scene where a car drove into a crowd in the southern German city of Munich on February 13, 2025 leaving several people injured
Ambulances are seen on site after at least 20 people were left injured following the smash
In images circulating online police can be seen gathered around to assess the damage
Footage captured the moment the driver (right) was arrested by police after he drove through the crowd
‘A person was lying on the street and a young man was taken away by the police,’ Sandra Demmelhuber said.
‘People were sitting on the ground, crying and shaking. Details still unclear,’ the reporter added.
Ambulances are currently on site as they attempt to aid victims who were hit and police are working on confirming whether the driver had acted deliberately when driving into the rally.
‘Police investigations must now clarify whether he drove into the crowd intentionally or confused the accelerator and brake,’ Bild reported.
A demonstrator told Bayerischer Rundfunk: ‘I was in the demonstration and saw that a man was lying under the car. Then I tried to open the door, but it was locked’.
‘Eventually the police came and shot at the car window, so he retreated and took care of the injured’.
Munich’s mayor Dieter Reiter told Bild: ‘The police chief has just informed me that a vehicle drove into a group of people and unfortunately many people were injured, including children. I am deeply shocked.
‘My thoughts are with the injured.’
In images circulating online, the Mini Cooper can be seen with a smashed windshield and crushed bonnet as police gather around to assess the damage.
On Thursday, several city employees stopped their work to demonstrate in a protest demanding an eight per cent increase, higher bonuses, and three additional days off.
The Verdi Union had called for the demonstration.
A pram lies on the road beside a car that drove into a crowd in Munich
Rubbish was seen strewn across the road following the incident
A police car attends the scene of an accident after a driver hit a group of people in Munich, Germany, Thursday February 13, 2025
Following the incident, the driver was secured on site by cops and ‘currently poses no further danger,’ Munich Police have said on X/Twitter
In an update on social media, Munich Police have urged locals to avoid the area so that investigations can continue smoothly.
‘There will be traffic disruptions around the scene of the incident. Please avoid the area so that the emergency services can work unhindered,’ it said in a post to X/Twitter.
Cops have also stated they have set up a witness collection point in the Löwenbräukeller on Stiglmaierplatz.
The incident comes just weeks after a car drove into a group of people at a Christmas market in the eastern German city of on Friday, leaving at least two dead and nearly 70 injured.
The incident comes just weeks after a car drove into a group of people at a Christmas market in the eastern German city of Magdeburg on December 20, leaving at least two dead and nearly 70 injured.
The driver of the car, reported to be a dark BMW, was arrested following the crash.
Bild reported that the car was driven ‘at least 400m (1,300ft) across the Christmas market’, per a police spokesperson.
This is a breaking news story. More to follow.
