A car has rammed pedestrians on a busy Tokyo street that was closed to traffic for New Year festivities.The car, which was driving in a wrong lane, bulldozed into revelers in Japan's capital city as it swerved into a shopping street bustling with people just after midnight, NHK reported. The suspect, 21, Kazuhiro Kusakabe, was arrested and being questioned, Tokyo Metropolitan Police said on customary condition of anonymity. READ MORE: 3 injured after New Year’s Eve stabbing at Manchester, U.K. train station

NHK TV footage showed a small van with the entire front end smashed and officers and ambulance workers rushing to the scene. The car barreled down the narrow street, which was packed with pedestrians, slamming into a number of them, police said. The crash occurred early Tuesday on Takeshita Dori, a road well known to tourists and pop culture and fashion fans that runs right by Meiji Shrine in Harajuku, Shibuya ward. The road was closed to traffic over the New Year, largely because of its proximity to the Meiji Shrine, which is a popular destination for people on New Year’s Eve — many Japanese visit local or famous shrines over the new year period to pray for good fortune in the coming year.
A car plows into New Year's celebrators in Tokyo, Japan, injuring eight. A ninth person was assaulted by the driver after he got out of the vehicle. Police believe the incident to be intentional.