SYDNEY, Oct. 3 (Xinhua) — The alleged teen driver of the car, which plowed into a crowd in the Australian city of Newcastle, 110 km north of Sydney, on Saturday morning, has been charged, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) reported.
Indika Bambrick Samarasinghe, 18, has been charged with three instances of dangerous driving occasioning grievous bodily harm, three instances of negligent driving occasioning grievous bodily harm and three instances of causing bodily harm by misconduct, according to court documents viewed by the ABC.
Samarasinghe will appear in Newcastle Bail Court on Sunday, the ABC said.
The assistant commissioner of police in the Australian state of New South Wales, David Waddell, told reporters on Saturday afternoon that a car was driving erratically before the driver lost control and crashed into a crowd around 9:30 a.m. local time on Saturday.
He said that the crowd had gathered along the side of the road as part of an official farewell event for the local team, the Newcastle Knights, as they traveled to Sydney to play in the National Rugby League grand final on Sunday night.
Police said that 10 people were injured, including a five-year-old girl and a 67-year-old man who were hospitalized in critical conditions.
The remaining eight people, including a second five-year-old girl and a two-year-old girl, were taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Samarasinghe, the driver of the vehicle, was arrested at the scene and taken to hospital for mandatory drug and alcohol testing. ■