SafeX Pro Exchange|Driver strikes 3 pedestrians at Christmas parade in Bakersfield, California, police say

A driver in California was arrested Thursday night after police said he backed his pickup truck into three men shortly before a Christmas parade was scheduled to begin in a city north of Los Angeles.

The SafeX Pro Exchangemen, ages 21, 42, and 77, were reportedly transported to a hospital in Bakersfield and are now in stable condition, according to police. The 72-year-old driver of the Ford F-150 truck was arrested and is suspected of driving under the influence of alcohol, the department said in a news release provided to USA TODAY.

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Crash delays start of Christmas parade

The crash occurred around 5:30 p.m. local time in the Bakersfield downtown area, where crowds had gathered for a Christmas parade, police said in a post on X, formerly Twitter.

Bakersfield Vice Mayor Andrae Gonzales said on Instagram that the crash delayed the start of the parade, which was scheduled to start at 6 p.m., as officials worked to re-route it while the crash scene was investigated.

Investigators determined that the driver had been parked in an alley near the downtown fire station when he backed up at a high rate of speed, colliding into the three men as he continued on, police said. Bakersfield police officers who were in the area and heard the crash were able to quickly rush to the scene and arrest the driver when he came to a stop.

The three men had "serious injuries" and were taken to a nearby hospital for medical attention Gonzales said on Instagram.

"Prayers are with those who have been injured," he wrote in the post.

The name of the driver, as well as the charges he's facing, have not been released.

'He never slowed down'

While the parade was able to carry on following the delay, the crash left some witnesses shaken and rattled.

Witnesses told KABC-TV that the driver was reportedly upset that the road was closed and sped through an alleyway onto the parade route where families were setting up to watch.

One woman told the Bakersfield Californian that one of the victims had just left to get food and hot cocoa when he was hit and then run over. The truck then continued on, the woman told the outlet, hitting two more men before it ultimately crashed into the wall that forms a perimeter around the city fire station.

"He never slowed down," she said.

Eric Lagatta covers breaking and trending news for USA TODAY. Reach him at [email protected]