As shoppers and pubgoers milled about Westhoughton town centre on a busy Saturday afternoon, anyone passing through would not have imagined that anything out of the ordinary had happened earlier that same day.
But in the early hours of this morning, Market Street saw horrifying scenes that would not have looked out of place in a film or TV show, as a dark coloured van mounted the pavement and hurtled towards a number of pedestrians.
Thankfully and miraculously no one was ‘seriously hurt’ and police managed to arrest a 27-year-old man on suspicion of attempted murder. Greater Manchester Police (GMP) also reassured the public that the incident was ‘domestic related’, with a spokesman saying that the suspect is “believed to have been driving into a group of people who he was involved in an altercation with”.
READ MORE : Horrifying video shows van 'driving at people in the street' as police make attempted murder arrest
For those unfamiliar with Westhoughton, Market Street is a popular area, with a number of trendy bars and restaurants. Most establishments have closing times of 1am or earlier on Friday night/Saturday morning but it is not uncommon for revellers to still be out and about a short time after that.
A local business owner, who did not wish to be named, suggested that policing in the area needed to be stricter.
She added: “Westhoughton is a really lovely area to live in and it’s really up-and-coming. It’s becoming a destination spot for visitors but I think there should be tighter policing in the area.
“Thank God no one was hurt though.”
A bar worker at The Victoria Inn, close to where the incident happened, said: “We’ve obviously seen it all this morning but we have absolutely no clue what happened.”
Earlier this morning, Market Street was closed off by police as an investigation was launched. Photographs from the scene showed a bin on its side in the middle of the road, surrounded by shards of glass and other debris. Meanwhile, crime scene investigators took photos and videos of the aftermath.
The road reopened shortly before 11am and soon after it seemed to be business as usual, with shops, bars and restaurants all back welcoming customers for a busy Saturday afternoon.
A GMP spokesman said: "At 1.36am this morning, police were called to a report of a male driving a van into a group of people on Market Street, Westhoughton. Officers attended the scene and a 27-year-old man was detained and arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.
Detective Inspector Stuart Woodhead, of GMPs Bolton CID, added: “Thankfully no one was seriously hurt during this incident but the outcome could have been very different, hence why we have arrested the suspect on suspicion of attempted murder.
"Following enquiries we believe this to have been a domestic related incident with the suspect believed to have been driving into a group of people who he was involved in an altercation with.
“The suspect remains in custody for questioning and a scene will remain in place on Market Street today while our investigation continues”.
Anyone with information, or anyone who witnessed this incident, is asked to contact police on 0161 85 65757 quoting log 235 of the 6th August 2022. Alternatively, contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
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