Berlin Pride car crash kills one and injures at least 15
Berlin police called off Christopher Street Day after a car hit people near Tiergarten, leaving one dead and at least 15 injured.
By Georgia Hale · Staff Writer
2 min read
A Berlin Pride car crash left one person dead and at least 15 others injured Saturday after a vehicle drove into people near the route of the German capital’s Christopher Street Day parade, police said.
Berlin police said some of the injured had life-threatening wounds. Firefighters, ambulances and a large number of emergency workers were sent to the scene as the celebration was halted.
The incident happened near Tiergarten park, close to the parade route, according to police. In a post on X, police told people at the event to leave the area immediately.
Police said they were looking for possible suspects. In a short video released on the Berlin police X account, an officer said authorities were conducting an intensive search.
What happened at Berlin Pride?
According to Berlin police, a car drove into Tiergarten park near the Christopher Street Day route and struck several people. Police did not give a confirmed total for everyone hurt beyond saying at least 15 were injured and one person was killed.
Police also said they did not know how many officers had been deployed to the scene, but described the number as definitely large. No suspect details, motive or explanation for how the car entered the area were released in the police information reported.
The Pride event in front of the Brandenburg Gate was called off around 10:15 p.m., and a band performing on stage was interrupted. Attendees were urged to go home and avoid walking through Tiergarten park.
Christopher Street Day is Germany’s name for Pride, marking LGBTQ+ rights and community visibility. Berlin’s celebration is one of Europe’s largest LGBTQ+ events, drawing hundreds of thousands of people to the city.
How the parade unfolded before the crash
Before the car struck people near the route, the parade had been peaceful, with crowds moving through Berlin for hours, according to the report. Participants danced to loud music and cheered roughly 80 floats.
Images from the scene showed police and fire department personnel at Kemperplatz after the cancellation of Christopher Street Day. Other images showed marchers heading toward the Brandenburg Gate under the 2026 motto, translated as “Having principles is hot, blessing instead of hate.”
The cancellation cut short a major public celebration in the city center and turned the focus to emergency response and the police search. Authorities continued urging people to clear the area as responders treated victims and officers worked the scene.
Police had not announced further details on possible suspects in the information reported, and no arrests were confirmed.
This story draws on original reporting from CBS News.