Before the possibly decisive derby between Espanyol and FC Barcelona, terrible scenes occur in front of the stadium. A car drives into a amount of fan.
As numerous videos and pictures show, a white car drove into a crowd around an hour and a half before kick -off. It is said to have been fans of the home team who had been waiting for the arrival of the Espanyol bus at the stadium in front of the RCDE stadium.
Shock scenes in front of Barca derby
According to the Catalan police, there were 14 slightly injured people in this incident.
In the seventh minute of the game there was the following announcement about the microphones: “Attention: We tell you that the situation is under control after the collision outside the stadium and there are no serious injuries.”
Shortly afterwards there was a tumult in the fan block behind the Espanyol goal, referee César Soto Grado then interrupted the game and discussed with officials on the edge of the field, including the responsible police officer. After a short break it continued.
In the course of the first half, the fan block Espanyols emptied more and more. Leaving the block is understood as a protest in Spanish media, since the fans were of the opinion that the game should not have taken place under these circumstances.
Puzzle about accident
Exactly what the incident was at first remained just as open as the exact circumstances of the collision in front of the stadium.
The Spanish newspaper Mundo Deportivo wrote about an “accident followed by a driver’s flight”. Witnesses at the scene of the accident reported a big mess.
Accident without any intention – driver arrested
The police have now announced that it is currently assuming that a woman has panicked and then drove the white car into the crowd.
The driver is said to have initially unintentionally hit a girl, which prompted several people to put them on the car.
Afterwards, the driver of the car is said to have accelerated in her nervousness without any intention, which is why an accident occurred. The Spanish AS writes about a subsequent arrest of the woman.
Salvador Illa, the regional president of the Spanish region of Catalonia, also ruled out a planned attack.