Woman charged after car hits pedestrians in Soho, one critical

A 30-year-old woman remained in a critical condition after a car hit three pedestrians on Argyll Street in Soho, an early-hours crash that led police to arrest and charge a 29-year-old driver with attempted murder.

The collision happened at about 04:30 BST on Sunday, 19 April 2026, on one of central London’s busiest late-night routes, near Oxford Circus and the London Palladium. Officers from the Metropolitan Police attended with the London Ambulance Service after reports that a car had been involved in a collision with pedestrians. A man in his 50s suffered life-changing injuries, while a second woman in her 30s sustained minor injuries.

Police said the driver, a 29-year-old woman, was arrested at the scene on suspicion of attempted murder, grievous bodily harm, dangerous driving and drink driving before later being charged with attempted murder. The Metropolitan Police said the incident was not being treated as terrorism-related.

The charge places the case at the serious end of road-traffic investigations. In pedestrian collisions, attempted murder is usually considered only where investigators believe the driving was not merely careless or reckless, but potentially deliberate enough to show intent to kill or cause very serious harm. That threshold depends on what officers can prove about speed, direction, repeated impact, prior movements, witness accounts and any actions before or after the crash. Police still need to build that case through evidence, not just the severity of the injuries.

Detective Chief Inspector Alison Foxwell said venues in the area were still open when the collision happened, making it possible that people saw the crash itself or the events leading up to it. The Metropolitan Police appealed for anyone with information, including anything that happened before or after the collision, to come forward.

The case has renewed concern about serious pedestrian injuries in the West End, where nightlife and late transport traffic mix in narrow central streets. It also echoes a Christmas Day 2024 incident on Shaftesbury Avenue, where pedestrians were struck by a car and a victim later died, underlining how quickly a busy entertainment district can turn into a major public-safety scene in the early hours.