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Rescue workers at the scene of the accident in Stettin

Photo: Marcin Bielecki/dpa

A driver drove into a crowd in Stettin, Poland, injuring at least 19 passers-by.

Provincial Governor Adam Rudawski said six children were among the injured.

Two injured people are in critical condition.

There was initially talk of 17 injuries.

The police ruled out a terrorist background.

According to Governor Rudawski, the driver initially fled after the incident but was arrested shortly afterwards.

“It is not an act of terrorism,” said police spokesman Pawel Pankau.

The arrested driver was a 33-year-old Pole living in Stettin.

As he fled, the man rammed three cars and their drivers were injured.

According to the police spokesman, the man "drove behind the wheel of a Ford Focus into a group of people who were waiting for the tram at a large intersection in the center of Szczecin."

Initial analyzes indicated “that he was not under the influence of alcohol or drugs,” explained Pankau.

The police said it was too early to say whether the man had specific motives for his behavior.

Polish media quoted eyewitnesses as saying that the driver drove into the intersection at high speed and then sped onto the sidewalk and tram tracks.

He then fled in his car across the intersection and collided with three cars about a kilometer away.

svs/dpa/AFP