A driver slammed into spectators Saturday evening at the beginning of a Pride parade in South Florida, and a politician says one person was killed and another seriously injured.
The pickup driver acted like he was a part of the Wilton Manors Stonewall Pride Parade on the other hand suddenly accelerated when he was told he was next, crashing into the victims, Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis said, consistent with WSVN-TV. Wilton Manors is simply north of Fort Lauderdale .
One of the victims later succumbed to their injuries, Trantalis said.
News outlets reported that the driving force of the pickup was taken into custody. Authorities didn't immediately explain about the victims or say whether or not they believe the crash was intentional.
“This may be a surprise attack against the LGBT community,” Trantalis told reporters. “This is strictly what it's . Hardly an accident.”
Photos and video from the scene showed Democratic US Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz in tears while during a convertible at the parade. A spokesperson for Wasserman Schultz didn't immediately return an email seeking comment.
Spectator Christina Currie told the South Florida SunSentinel that she was together with her family at the beginning of the parade.
“All of a sudden there was a loud revving of a truck and a crash through a fence,” Currie said. "It was definitely an intentional act right across the lanes of traffic.”
Wilton Manors police tweeted Saturday night that the general public isn't in peril .
“A tragic incident occurred at today’s Stonewall event," Wilton Manors Mayor Scott Newton said during a statement, consistent with WPLG-TV. "Out of respect for everybody involved, the parade has been canceled and a radical investigation is being conducted.”
June is Pride Month, commemorating the June 1969 police raid targeting gay patrons at the Stonewall Inn in ny that led to an uprising of LGBTQ Americans and served as a catalyst for the gay rights movement.
