Daniel Barr, who served eight years in the army, jumped into the back of Paul Doyle's Ford Galaxy on Water Street and heroically brought his car to a stop
14:59, 16 Dec 2025Updated 15:04, 16 Dec 2025
It was early evening on the Bank Holiday Monday when Daniel Barr and his brother finally met for a drink at Shiraz on Williamson Square. They'd intended to watch Liverpool FC's open-top bus parade celebrating their Premier League triumph together, but hadn't managed to locate each other in the vast crowd of supporters.
Eventually, they'd reached their intended destination, toasting a momentous 20th league title with a pint. Yet, just moments before, Dan had performed something extraordinary. Though he wouldn't see it that way.
"I don't consider myself important," the 41-year-old builder tells the ECHO, more than six months after he leapt into the rear of Paul Doyle's Ford Galaxy on Water Street and courageously brought the vehicle to a halt. Having frantically struggled to engage the automatic car's handbrake, undoubtedly preventing numerous additional supporters from being hurt and potentially saving lives, he still confesses: "I don't think it's sunk in."
Daniel Barr heroically jumped into the back of Paul Doyle's car and stopped the vehicle as scenes of carnage unfolded during Liverpool FC's Premier League victory parade
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Daniel Barr heroically jumped into the back of Paul Doyle's car(Image: Colin Lane/Liverpool Echo)
Dan, who had previously completed eight years of military service before departing the armed forces in 2010, had caught the bus into Liverpool city centre that May afternoon from his Birkenhead home, remembering: "The plan was to meet my brother and my nephew. It was obviously getting packed by then already. They were happy where they were, I was happy where I was. I thought, we'll meet up after," reports the Liverpool Echo.
"It was good, apart from the weather. It still didn't really matter to be honest. It was good to see all the lunatics on the scaffolding and the buildings, just taking it all in. It was good entertainment."
After watching the celebrations near the George's Dock Building, Dan departed the Strand and made his way back into the city centre once the players had passed through, likely thinking that witnessing supporters clinging dangerously to every available viewpoint would be the most dramatic spectacle of his day.
However, as he approached Castle Street and the Town Hall, he spotted Doyle's vehicle, "snaking through people, throwing them everywhere".
Daniel Barr heroically jumped into the back of Paul Doyle's car and stopped the vehicle as scenes of carnage unfolded during Liverpool FC's Premier League victory parade
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Daniel Barr leapt into action(Image: Colin Lane/Liverpool Echo)
Despite having mere moments to comprehend the chaos and carnage unfolding before him, as Doyle recklessly drove his car into 134 people of all ages, Dan displayed remarkable composure and control, undoubtedly shaped by his military service in Iraq during the 2000s.
For a brief moment, the vehicle came to a halt He didn't hesitate for an instant.
"I'm not why or how, but he stopped momentarily, by the ambulance. That's when I took my opportunity. My thoughts were, I'm gonna punch that window through. All the doors must be locked, because everybody else is trying to get in desperately.
"I remember getting a bit of a run up to get to the rear left door, which is where I got in. I remember bracing myself, thinking to punch it through, if I could. At the last split second, something came over me and said, try the handle. I think it was luck that my door was open. I managed to get in.
Doyle crashed into the crowds
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Doyle crashed into the crowds(Image: PA)
"I dive straight in. I think I'm on all fours. As soon as I've got in, I remember thinking, at least we're in and we can stop this, whatever it is. As soon as that thought entered my head, the door slammed, because he accelerated off into lots of people.
"I remember, vividly, a change in audio from chaos, screaming, panicking and shock to relative silence inside his car. I tried all sorts. Reasoning, shouting, fighting, grabbing, grabbing the steering wheel. I remember looking for the keys, and I couldn't figure out how to get them."
'I could see everything, the utter disbelief on people's faces as they were getting hit'.
Then, Dan realised that Doyle's car was an automatic. He spotted the handbrake.
Liverpool incident
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Liverpool incident(Image: PA Wire)
"I knew, all I've got to do is punch that as hard as I can and keep it there, and it'll surely stop.
"I do remember him repeating, I'm not sure how many times he repeated it, it was along the lines of 'why won't they move out of my way?'. He wasn't going mad, not shouting, not stressed. It was strange, like a question, repeated over and over. That sticks in my head.
"It was like he was aware but he wasn't, because he was asking 'why won't they move out of my way?' I don't really know how to answer that, but you're clearly killing them. That's all I remember.
"I'd have tried everything. If I thought violence would have done the job, then I'd have done that, no problem. But I do not believe that would have stopped him. It would probably have made it worse. It was a short period of time. I imagine it was between 10 and 20 seconds, I'm guessing. I remember the silence.
Doyle was jailed for 21 years
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Doyle was jailed for 21 years(Image: Julia Quenzler / SWNS)
"Unfortunately, I could see everything. I could see the look on people's faces. I could see the utter disbelief as they were coming to get hit by him. There was nothing they could do. I'm sure some people would have managed to get out of the way. There weren't many places they could have gone.
"I don't know if you've ever had a dream where your car is out of control, everyone else is chilled but you know it's gonna go off. The worst part was, I had to do something about it. It was gonna get worse."
Dan gripped the handbrake desperately, and eventually the motor ground to a stop - undoubtedly thanks to a combination of his courageous efforts and several pedestrians, including a 12 year old lad, becoming pinned beneath the motor. "I was aware that it wasn't over. I believe he was trying to get back into drive. I remember that being my priority, to keep my arm there, because it's not over yet, in my head.
"I'm in a bit of a weird position, squeezing through the centre console. I remember thinking, the crowd are gonna help now, get him out. He had a seatbelt on. I could see the button [to release Doyle's seatbelt] there. They were trying to grab him out and he was accelerating still. As soon as I pressed that button, he was out of my face, just out of the situation."
CCTV captured the incident on Water Street
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CCTV captured the incident on Water Street(Image: Police Handout)
Dan managed to seize Doyle's mobile and pass it to a police officer and with that, as quickly as it had all kicked off, he was back on his way, sporting only a small gash to his head and missing his specs after his ordeal.
"I walked up the street. It was chaos around the car with the police. God knows what they thought. Obviously, they piled in, surrounded the car.
"I remember walking past three casualties on the floor. I wasn't much use to them, they had two, three people around them and there were more people running in. I thought I'd best leave. I headed up towards the alleyway with Covent Garden, just off Water Street, and then made my way into town. There wasn't much telephone signal around. I phoned my brother and eventually got hold of him.
"I met up with him at St George's, him and my nephew. My head was bleeding. I don't know how that happened, but I had a cut head. I cleaned it up a bit and went for a pint with my brother, then tried to get home in all that chaos."
The incident left over 100 people injured
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The incident left over 100 people injured(Image: @lawbeau94/X)
After being picked up from Lime Street by a friendly neighbour, Dan returned home. In the following days, he felt out of sorts, "just not myself, not Dan-like".
Although he doesn't explicitly say it, this day will undoubtedly leave an indelible mark on his life.
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However, today, he seems remarkably nonchalant about his heroic act, as if it was simply what was expected of him. "I don't think it has hit me yet to be honest with you. I'm obviously aware that I've done something, but I think anybody would have done the same in my position. I was lucky to be in that position. But I don't think it's sunk in yet, the enormity of it.
"I definitely thought there would be people dead. It's a miracle that they're not. How there were no deaths, I'm not sure."
As Doyle received a 21-and-a-half-year sentence on Tuesday, the Honorary Recorder of Liverpool Judge Andrew Menary KC formally praised Dan, describing his actions as "outstandingly brave" and presenting him with a High Sheriff's Award. Yet, ever the stoic, this modest hero adds: "It still is a bit surreal. It is strange. It's been a bit heavy, to be honest with you."