New Orleans police say today's Sugar Bowl between Georgia and Notre Dame will go ahead, despite a “terrorist” attack in New York that killed 10 people less than a mile from the stadium.
The fate of the College Football Playoff showdown was left in doubt after a Ford pickup truck plowed into a crowd on Bourbon Street around 3:50 a.m. Wednesday morning, killing 10 and injuring 35 others.
Many believed the match could be postponed given the proximity of the attack, but Police Commissioner Anne Kirkpatrick has indicated it will go ahead as planned.
Speaking to the media, he said officials will work to ensure security at the Sugar Bowl, and it is anticipated that security will increase as 83,000 fans arrive at the Superdome.
“He was hell-bent on creating the carnage and the damage he caused,” Kirkpatrick said. 'It was very intentional behavior. This man was trying to run over as many people as he could.
At least 10 people died after a driver plowed into a large group at high speed in New Orleans
Dozens of police officers responded to what authorities declared a “mass casualty event”
The terrorist in question was killed by police after a shootout at the scene, as first reported by the New York Times.
The incident occurred less than a mile from the Superdome, which will also host the Super Bowl in just five weeks.
Thousands of Notre Dame and Georgia fans had descended on New Orleans for a night of festivities before the start of the College Football Playoff and the city's historic New Year's Day Sugar Bowl.
But joy turned to terror in the French Quarter in the early morning hours as the incident unfolded, even though police presence was at “100% capacity.”
The police department had also stated that in addition to a team at full capacity, they had recruited an additional 300 officers from partner agencies to handle the New Year's Eve and Sugar Bowl festivities.