Cardiff hit-and-runs: Two of 13 hurt 'critical' as murder inquiry continues

Mother-of-three Karina Menzies was killed when the van ploughed into her

Cardiff hit-and-runs: Two of 13 hurt 'critical' as murder inquiry continues

Two people are in intensive care after a series of hit-and-runs in Cardiff left a woman dead and 13 people injured.

The incident involved a van over a half an hour on Friday. A man, 31, is being questioned on suspicion of murder.

Police revealed people were also assaulted outside the van, possibly with a weapon.

Nine casualties, five of them children, are still in hospital. Two adults are in critical but stable conditions.

Detectives said they were "keeping an open mind" about the circumstances.

They also want witnesses who saw a black Renault Clio being driven on the wrong side of Western Avenue, near the Tesco Extra store, at around 15:25 BST, which may be linked to the man they are questioning.

The dead woman has been named locally as 32-year-old Karina Menzies, who police said has still not been formally identified.

Floral tributes have been laid by local people outside Ely fire station, close to where she died.

Eyewitnesses have said pedestrians were deliberately targeted by someone driving a van in five locations.

A man was arrested after police stopped a van on the outskirts of the city near the Merrie Harrier pub at Llandough.

Police would not confirm at which point they began to pursue the suspect's vehicle, a white Iveco transit-type van.

Detectives said there were five separate crime scenes and they have been appealed for sightings of the white van in the Grand Avenue area of Ely.

The van is undergoing forensic tests. Events started unfolding after police were called to an incident in Crossways Road in Ely at 15:30 BST.

There were soon reports of hit-and-run collisions in several locations in the west of the city: Grand Avenue, Cowbridge Road West, Sloper Road and near Asda at Leckwith Retail Park, close to Cardiff City's football stadium.

Police amended the number of casualties to 14 - one dead and 13 people injured - ahead of a news conference on Saturday.

Diane Quick, 43, from Ely, told BBC Wales her niece Anastasia Jones, 22, and her great-niece Amelia, two, were both injured. "They were hit from behind by the van. Amelia was in the pram but she has bruising.

"Anna has a broken leg and she's waiting for a scan.

"I've seen Karina coming in and out of school collecting her kids. People say how nice she was, always happy and willing to help people.

"I heard she was on her way from school from picking up the children. It's horrendous."

Stuart Bateman, who was travelling on a bus passing Ely Fire Station, told BBC Radio 5Live: "There were two kids on the floor and a white van reversing.

"And there was a woman waving at the van, trying to say stop. The van just straightened up and sped off out of the fire station. Behind her there was a woman on the floor and I believe that was the woman who died."

Cardiff West MP Kevin Brennan, in Ely on Saturday morning, said people were "waking up to a nightmare which was just too real".

He said it was "shockingly normal scene" apart from the police tapes and incident markers.

"Everyone here is asking the question 'why?' It beggars belief, people have been traumatised, seeing things they should not expect to see.

"They're struggling to find the words. People will unite. Ely is a very generous community if not a well-off community.

"I know they will rally around the family of Karina Menzies and the other families. They're going to be shocked and extremely concerned about what happened."

The Reverend Jan Gould opened up the Church of the Resurrection on Grand Avenue to help offer comfort to the community.

She said: "We were open until about 11:30 last night we had a steady trickle of people just wanting to sit, light a candle or just make sense of just had just happened. We're open today until six tonight."

Rev Gould described the scene.

"It was the most horrendous incident. It equates very much to a shooting," she said.

The Most Rev George Stack, the Archbishop of Cardiff, was "shocked and saddened" by what had happened.

"I extend my sympathy and prayers to those who have been injured and bereaved, and to all who have been directly affected by these events," he said.

First Minister Carwyn Jones said he had been left "deeply shocked" by the events and his thoughts were with the families of those most affected by what had happened.

"I would like to thank all the emergency services who are dealing with the consequences of these horrendous events," he added.

Seventy officers are working on the incident, which involved "multiple scenes and multiple injuries".

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-20014598