The incident occurred shortly after midday local time (6 a.m. ET), Stefan Wilhelm, a spokesperson for Mannheim police, told CNN.

He said the key suspect has been arrested.

The official X page of Mannheim Police said: "According to current findings, a car drove into a group of people in Mannheim city center. A suspect was identified and arrested."

A large-scale police operation in the city is currently underway.

The incident reportedly occurred at a time when a large number of people had gathered for parades marking the carnival season.

Eye Witnesses Say Black Car Involved

Mikla Cela, a worker at a restaurant in the city center, told CNN that he saw a black car drive by at high speed.

Ferry Overdevest, the owner of a flower store in central Mannheim, told CNN that around 30 people had sought shelter in his shop and that ambulances were on the streets outside.

Car Ramming Attacks

Germany witnessed several car ramming incidents in recent months.

A person drove a Mini Cooper into demonstrators in Munich city last month, which left a mother and a child dead.

The attack left 30 others injured.

In another attack in December 2024, a car drove into people at a Christmas market in the German city of Magdeburg.

The incident left six people dead and 200 injured.