Driver plows into Moscow crowd, wounding 8 in what police say is accident

Video of incident shows taxi driving slowly in traffic before suddenly accelerating into pedestrians on sidewalk; the driver then tries to flee the scene

MOSCOW — Police in Moscow said Saturday eight people were injured when a taxi crashed into pedestrians on a sidewalk near Red Square.

Police said preliminary information indicated the driver lost control of the vehicle.

The driver, identified by Moscow city authorities as a national of the central Asian republic of Kyrgyzstan, was taken into custody for questioning.

“The preliminary cause of the accident is that the driver lost control of the vehicle,” the Moscow police department said in a statement.

Some reports said the suspect told the police his foot had slipped on the gas pedal.

Video circulated on Russian social media and some news websites showed the taxi approaching a stopped line of cars, then veering onto the sidewalk and striking pedestrians. It then hit a traffic sign and bystanders tried to wrestle the driver out of the taxi, but he broke their grip and ran away; it was not clear how he was finally detained.

The source of the video wasn’t specified, but it appeared to a handheld recording of footage from a video monitor.

ITAR-TASS quoted the Moscow health department as saying eight people were hurt.

The Moscow city government tweeted photographs of the yellow cab sustaining damage to its front bumper in the incident near the Kremlin and being towed away.

The city health department said seven of the injured were in satisfactory condition and one was in more serious condition. Specifics on their injuries were not available.