One person has been killed and dozens injured after a car smashed into pedestrians on a Las Vegas Strip pavement in what police said appeared to be a deliberate act.
Captain Brett Zimmerman of Las Vegas police said terrorism had been ruled out but the crash on Las Vegas Boulevard was thought to be intentional.
The woman driver apparently went on to the pavement, hitting pedestrians, then went back into the street before again mounting the pavement in a different part of the boulevard, hitting others.
Mr Zimmerman said police were reviewing video from casino-hotel surveillance cameras.
“We know this was not an act of terrorism,” he said. “We will comb through that footage to get a detailed idea of what occurred. Right now from what we know, we’re looking at it possibly being intentional.”
He said a three-year-old child was in the vehicle but was unhurt.
Lt Dan McGrath said the 1996 Oldsmobile was not registered to Nevada and the driver had recently moved to the area. He said that after the crash, the car continued on Flamingo Road before it was found at a hotel.
The car had been travelling north on Las Vegas Boulevard, near Bellagio Way, when it mounted the pavement in front of the Paris Hotel & Casino and struck pedestrians.
One person was killed and seven were in a critical condition, authorities said. Thirty-seven people were taken to hospital.
The Miss Universe pageant was being held nearby at the Planet Hollywood Las Vegas Resort & Casino at the time.
Clark County fire chief Greg Cassell said the call for help came in at 6.38pm on Sunday (2.38am today GMT) and 70 emergency crew members rushed to the scene.
The woman driver was being interviewed and tested for alcohol and controlled substances, police said.
Danita Cohen a spokeswoman for University Medical Centre in Las Vegas, said crash victims were brought to its trauma centre. Sunrise Hospital and Medical Centre was treating 11 adults, who were said to be in good condition.
Nevada governor Brian Sandoval said: “The state stands ready to help and will provide any assistance needed to ensure the safety of our visitors and residents.”
He said he and his wife Kathleen “extend our deepest sympathies to all who are affected by this shocking and tragic event” and thanked first responders and medical teams caring for the victims.
Joel Ortega, 31, of Redlands, California, and his wife Carla were in Las Vegas for the weekend and came across a police blockade near the crash scene.
“At first, I thought it was a movie shoot,” Mr Ortega said. “I thought maybe we’d see someone famous.”
Mr Ortega said the couple remembered how their neighbourhood was disrupted after the December 2 mass shooting in San Bernardino, California, near their home.