Sept. 13 (UPI) — A man drove his car through a busy public square in China’s Hunan province on Wednesday, killing at least nine people and injuring dozens more.
As many as 43 people were injured when a red SUV suddenly plowed through crowds of people in Binjiang square in the city of Hengyang at 7:40 p.m. local time, The South China Morning Post reported.
A 54-year-old male suspect was arrested at the scene and police are investigating the incident.
Police said the suspect, Yang Zanyun, had a criminal record and served time in prison for arson and drugs related offenses, the BBC reported.
A local government statement declared the incident a “deliberate, malicious case of driving with intent to injure,” although it wasn’t immediately clear if it was terror-releated.