A man in China has been arrested for allegedly driving his car into a crowd and killing five people in the process.

According to the Global Times, local police said the man deliberately committed the crime as an act of revenge on society after he had lost money in some investments.

The man, identified by his surname Liu, was driving his BMW at about 11:40am on Sunday (May 23) in Dalian when he suddenly accelerated to 108km/h at an intersection where the speed limit was 60km/h.

He beat a red light and plowed into a crowd of pedestrians before fleeing the scene.

Reuters reported that four people died at the scene and another was pronounced dead after being conveyed to a hospital.

Five others sustained injuries.

Images of the car posted on social media showed a black BMW sedan with a crumpled bonnet and a broken windshield.

Local police have ruled out alcohol, drugs, or psychiatric illness as factors in Liu's behaviour.

He is currently being detained on the charge of endangering public safety and further investigation is underway.

Top image from Weibo