The incident comes after Germany has experienced a string of violence in recent weeks. In December, a car crashed into a crowd at a Christmas market in Magdeburg, Germany, west of Berlin, that resulted in five deaths and left more than 200 people injured. And in February, a driver plowed into a protest group in Munich injuring at least 28 people.

An official, without giving further details, said that a major police operation was underway in Mannheim following the incident.

Police in Mannheim, Germany asked people to avoid the downtown area amid an ongoing operation after a vehicle reportedly hit a crowd.