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Truck Crashes Into Pedestrians In Manhattan; At Least 8 People Killed

(CNN) -- There are fatalities after a truck drove the wrong way down the West Side Highway bike path for several blocks Tuesday afternoon, striking several people, according to sources at the New York Police Department.

Multiple People Injured After Truck Plows Through New York City Bike Path
NEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 31: Police gather at the scene after reports of multiple people injured after a truck plowed through a bike path in lower Manhattan on October 31, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Andy Kiss/Getty Images)

The suspect has been identified as 29-year-old Sayfullo Saipov from Uzbekistan. Witnesses say he shouted "Allahu Akbar," which means God is Great in Arabic.

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(credit: CBS)

Saipov exited the vehicle with what appeared to be a gun and was shot by police, the sources added. He is in police custody and is being taken to the hospital for treatment.

As many as eight people are dead, according to two senior law enforcement sources on the scene, They added that it appears to be deliberate act.

US-CRIME-SHOOTING
Police officers arrive at the scene following a shooting incident in New York on October 31, 2017. Multiple people were hurt in downtown Manhattan, US media reported after police confirmed that they were responding to reports of a shooting. Police said they had mobilized to the scene in Lower Manhattan and that one person was in custody, giving no further details. / AFP PHOTO / Don EMMERT (Photo credit should read DON EMMERT/AFP/Getty Images)

No others are being sought, the NYPD said. Police said to expect "many emergency personnel" in the area of Chambers Street and West Street on the lower west side of Manhattan.

"This was an act of terror, and a particularly cowardly act of terror," New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said.

CBS Special Report

Update: At least 8 people have now died as a result of the attack, police said. Breaking news: A truck has crashed into pedestrians in lower Manhattan. The driver is in custody.

Posted by CBS Denver on Tuesday, October 31, 2017

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo both said they are heading to the scene.

News footage showed crowds of spectators -- some capturing the scene with cellphone cameras -- gathered behind police lines. A white Home Depot truck with the front end smashed in was also visible.

Parts of several mangled bicycles littered the popular bike path along the West Side Highway and the Hudson River, as medics tended to the wounded in the background.

"What I saw was that the driver -- he didn't look like he was bleeding," said Ramon Cruz, a witness. "He was dragging his foot. He looks frustrated, panicked, confused. People are running past me, saying, 'He's got a gun. He's got a gun.' I didn't see any gun."

Multiple People Injured After Truck Plows Through New York City Bike Path
Emergency personal respond after reports of multiple people hit by a truck after it plowed through a bike path in lower Manhattan on October 31, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Kena Betancur/Getty Images)

It was a white pickup truck. He looked pretty bad without bleeding or anything like that. I didn't see him hit anybody. All I heard was the impact of a crash."

Tuesday afternoon on Twitter, a user posted an image of a person lying on the ground near the scene of an incident near West & Chambers Streets in Manhattan.

The-CNN-Wire™ & © 2017 Cable News Network, Inc., a Time Warner Company. All rights reserved.

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