A car drove into a crowd in western Germany

A car drove into a crowd in the town of Neustadt am Rübenberge (the federal state of Lower Saxony), and up to five people were injured.

This was reported by the DPA agency, citing police.

The incident occurred on Monday evening. According to police, the driver deliberately steered the car into the gathering of people. A police patrol was on duty near the scene, and law enforcement officers opened fire on the vehicle. Despite this, the driver managed to flee the scene.

According to preliminary data, the driver of the car and the injured may have known each other. The injured were taken to a hospital, and their lives are not in danger. "Efforts are continuing to clarify the circumstances of the incident and to identify those involved," a police spokeswoman said.

Police also do not rule out that there may have been several people in the car.

A helicopter flew to the scene, and a canine unit took part in the operation.