Man launches deadly forklift truck rampage before being shot dead by police

'The scene was horrifying,' says witness

One person was killed and at least 10 others were injured when a man went on a rampage in a forklift truck on busy rush-hour roads in China.

Police shot the driver dead after he ploughed into multiple cars, smashing them against other vehicles and leaving a trail of devastation in Yantai, Shandong province.

Footage showed Wang Zhihua, 45, creating carnage as he drove the forklift truck at high speed along the city’s streets.

In one clip, he ploughs into a car waiting at a junction, turning it on its side, and crushes it against a nearby vehicle.

In another, he lifts a car into the air and carries it for about 50 metres along the road before dumping it on top of parked vehicles.

Monday morning's rampage only ended when police officers surrounded the truck and shot Wang dead.

Officers were called at 7.20am local time (11.20pm GMT) to reports of a man ramming into cars in the Zhifu district of Yantai, a city on China's east coast with a population of nearly seven million.

Police said they opened fire to “protect the safety of the people and their property” after Wang refused to surrender.

Detectives have launched an investigation into Wang's motives.

Wang lived near to the scene of the rampage and ran a forklift business with his wife, reported the South China Morning Post.

“He looked pretty normal when he came here with his wife to do his shopping,” the owner of a local grocery shop told the newspaper.

He added: “The scene was horrifying. We never expected he would do that.”