Details released on driver who rammed crowd; 11 dead, 44 hospitalized

A 54-year-old man detained for driving an SUV into a crowd in Hengdong county, Hunan province, on Wednesday night and then attacking people with a shovel and dagger, has a criminal record and has been jailed several times for drug dealing, public brawling and intentional injury, local police said on Thursday.

They said his desire for revenge on society motivated his attack on the crowd gathered in a local square. The attack by Yang Zanyun caused heavy casualties, they said, with 11 people killed and 44 still in the hospital.

The attack took place at around 7:40 pm. Three of the injured, who are in critical condition, were rushed to the hospital. Yang was taken into custody at the scene.