Two people were killed and around 10 others injured – most of them critically – when a driver deliberately ploughed into pedestrians in the northern French city of Caen, local authorities said Thursday.

The incident occurred at around 10:10pm local time Wednesday (1:10am PKT Thursday) near the Caen railway station, where pedestrians were gathered at a bus stop, according to Franceinfo.

Calvados Prefect David Claviere said a vehicle “deliberately drove into pedestrians” in front of the station.

Initial witness accounts indicated that the suspect had been involved in a confrontation with a group earlier in the evening before returning to the area by car. He allegedly drove through the square, identified people involved in the dispute gathered under a bus shelter, and then struck them before fleeing.

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The initial toll stood at one dead and 10 injured, including seven in critical condition. A second victim later died at Caen University Hospital.

The driver was tracked through the city’s surveillance camera network and arrested near Ouistreham, about 20 kilometres (12 miles) from Caen. His vehicle was found in the nearby commune of Amfreville.

The 26-year-old suspect, who was born in Russia and legally resides in France, was not known to intelligence services, authorities said. He had previously been cited for traffic offences and had no criminal record.

Prosecutors opened an investigation into murder and intentional violence involving a weapon, entrusting the case to Calvados’ organised and specialised crime division.

Authorities are not currently treating the incident as terrorism, though investigators have not ruled out any possibility.

According to prosecutors, the suspect claimed in his initial statement that he had been assaulted outside the railway station earlier in the evening.