A German man, 35, drove a car into a group of people outside a city centre bakery and fled the scene before being shot by police.

The man hit the three pedestrians, one of whom died of his injuries, in Heidelberg, near Stuttgart, at around 4pm then ran away carrying a knife.

Dramatic video footage shows the suspect cornered by a police patrol, with a single gunshot heard before the officers rush towards him on the pavement.

Police say they believe the incident is not terror related, but have not yet identified a motive.

The first image of the suspect shows him brandishing a knife with his arms outstretched.

This is the first picture of the suspect, who is seen brandishing a knife on a pavement near a swimming pool

A German man, 35, drove a car into a group of people outside a city centre bakery and fled the scene before being shot by police. Pictured is the suspect

Video footage shows there was a short stand-off before the man was shot by police and then taken to hospital

A 73-year-old German man died of his injuries this evening at a local hospital. Pictured: The stand-off between the suspected driver and officers

Police cornered him and an officer could be heard shouting 'knife gone' after he was shot, according to local media reports. Pictured: Officers next to the car on Bismarckplatz

Forensic police were pictured after the shooting examining the car, which was black with three doors

The vehicle is thought to be a rental car, and had Hamburg license plates. A police spokesman said there was 'no indication' the man had a terrorist background

After police shot the man near a swimming pool, one of the officers shouted 'knife gone', according to local media.

The suspect, a 35-year-old German whose identity has not been released, was taken to a hospital and underwent an operation.

A 73-year-old German man died of his injuries this evening at a local hospital.

A 32-year-old Austrian man and a 29-year-old woman from Bosnia were lightly injured.

A police spokesman said there was 'no indication' the man had a terrorist background.

He added: 'We are continuing to investigate. As soon as we know more we will inform the public.'

German daily Bild reported that the suspect was suffering from psychiatric problems, but authorities have made no comment on that claim.

Forensic officers are seen examining the front of the car, which was placed behind a cordon

Police officers stand around the vehicle, which remained at the spot where a man ploughed into the crowd of people

Officers stand guard behind a cordon around the scene on Bismarckplatz, Heidelberg's main square

Regional newspaper Rhein-Neckar-Zeitung said the suspect was not fit to be questioned

Regional newspaper Rhein-Neckar-Zeitung said the suspect was not fit to be questioned.

Forensics officers were pictured after the shooting examining the car, a black three-door vehicle which had Hamburg license plates.

A cordon was been put in place to prevent the public accessing the scene.

Investigations by the public prosecutors' office in Heidelberg and the town's criminal police were continuing, police said.

Germany has been on high alert since a terrorist rammed a truck into a crowded Christmas market in Berlin in December, killing 12 people. Pictured: Emergency services in Heidelberg

The Berlin carnage evoked memories of the July truck assault in Nice, where 86 people were killed by a Tunisian Islamic State group-sympathiser. Pictured: An armed officer in Heidelberg

Police stand next to a car outside a business building in Heidelberg. There is an increased police presence in the city following the incident

A local newspaper said the suspect had stopped at a red traffic light and when it turned green put his foot down before hitting the group of people at high speed and smashing into a pillar.

Germany has been on high alert since a terrorist rammed a truck into a crowded Christmas market in Berlin in December, killing 12 people.

He was shot dead days later by police in Italy.

The Berlin carnage evoked memories of the July truck assault in Nice, where 86 people were killed by a Tunisian Islamic State group-sympathiser.