Driver rams car into crowd in western Germany; one dead, many injured

One person was killed and others injured when a car rammed into a crowd Monday in western Germany, police said. A suspect is in custody. 

Police in the German city of Mannheim asked the public to stay away from the downtown area and keep inside their homes. Other details were not immediately available. 

Police in the western German city of Mannheim have asked the public to stay away from the downtown area and keep inside their homes. Police would not disclose what prompted the large law enforcement presence in the city center but a spokesperson said the incident had been reported as “a life-threatening deployment situation.” Mannheim, population 326,000, lies about 85 kilometers (52 miles) south of Frankfurt.   

Police spokesperson Stefan Wilhelm told n-tv television that an “incident” occurred at around 12:15 pm in the Paradeplatz area of downtown Mannheim that triggered a large police deployment. He said he couldn't give details. 

Paradeplatz, a major square in the downtown area, lies at the end of a pedestrianised street. 

Authorities pushed an alert on the Katwarn app telling people in Mannheim to avoid the city's downtown area due to a big police deployment. Katwarn is used by officials to communicate information about major emergencies such as thunderstorms, militant attacks or fires.