Three deaths have been reported in Nottingham of England this morning and the police have arrested a man on suspicion of murder.
The three deaths have occurred due to a van running over them and thus the police suspect the deaths to be linked to one another.
According to the reports, the Nottinghamshire police were called to Ilkeston Road, around 4 am because two people were found dead on the street.
While the officers were also called to Milton Street where a van had run over three people but they are reportedly being treated in the hospital.
Reports say that another man was found dead on Magdala Road.
Chief Constable Kate Meynell told the media, "This is an horrific and tragic incident which has claimed the lives of three people."
According to the reports, witness Lynn Haggitt was on her way to work when a white van pulled up beside her at 5.30 am.
She saw the driver look in his mirror and spot a police car approaching slowly from behind without its lights on. The driver then accelerated and struck a man and woman at a street corner, reportedly.
“He went straight into them, he didn't even bother to turn," Haggitt told reporters. “The woman went on the curb, the man went up in the air, there was such a bang, I wish I never saw it, it's really shaken me up."
The driver then sped through the city centre, with police on his tail, she added.
She said the wounded man appeared to have a head injury but was helped to his feet. The woman was sitting on the curb and appeared to be OK.
Kane Brady, a student at the University of Nottingham, said he awoke to shouts of “armed police” and noises as loud as gunshots outside.
He said he saw officers holding stun guns and a man being dragged out of the van and pinned on the ground.
“I saw him getting arrested, him trying to resist," Brady told the media. He added, “When they opened the van, I saw a large knife being pulled out and then straight away that's when police closed off both roads.”
Police gave no immediate indication of a possible motive. The investigation was being led by local police, not counterterrorism officers.
The police also informed that a 31-year-old has been arrested by them who they suspect to be linked with the murders by a van running over them.
Kate Meynell said, “We believe these three incidents are all linked and we have a man in custody." She added, “This investigation is at its early stages and a team of detectives is working to establish exactly what has happened."
The update came after police said emergency services were responding to an “ongoing serious incident” in the central England city. Images on social media showed police standing near cordons at several locations in the city centre.
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom sent his condolences and thanked the police for their services in a tweet.
Meynell also said, "We ask the public to be patient while inquiries continue. At this time, a number of roads in the city will remain closed as this investigation progresses."
The city's tram network said it had suspended all services.
Nottingham is a city of about 350,000 some 120 miles (190 kilometres) north of London.
(With AP inputs)
