A man plowed his pickup truck into a crowd of partygoers on Bourbon Street in New Orleans early Wednesday morning, causing fear and sending at least 30 people to the hospital with serious injuries. The suspect then got out of the car and began firing a gun, police said. New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell declared the incident a “terrorist attack” at a news conference Wednesday morning. However, the F.B.I. objected to that characterization.the agency has not confirmed this yet.
The attack reportedly occurred around 3:15 a.m. local time. The intersection of Bourbon Street and Iberville.
“It involved a man driving a pickup truck at a high rate of speed on Bourbon Street, and it was a very deliberate act. “I was trying to run him over,” he said. To as many people as possible…Based on the information we currently have, this was not a DUI situation, it was more complicated and more serious. ”
Kirkpatrick also indicated that the FBI has taken over the investigation of the case.
Police have not yet released information about the suspect, including whether he is in custody, dead or still at large. A witness at the scene told a local television station. WWL-TV Police said they saw the suspect get out of his car and begin firing into the crowd, before officers returned fire. New Orleans police confirmed that two officers were injured in the attack, but it was not immediately clear whether they were injured by the truck, gunfire, or both. The extent and severity of his injuries are also unknown.
This is a developing story and will be updated as conditions change.
