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Updated 1.00pm
A CAR PLOUGHED into pedestrians on a popular shopping strip in the heart of Australia’s second-largest city today, killing four people including a young child and injuring dozens more.
Police said they were not considering the incident an act of terrorism.
Witnesses described “bodies flying through the air” and people running out of the path of the speeding vehicle in the central mall area of Melbourne.
Moments before, passers-by had watched astonished as the driver gesticulated out the window and spun the maroon-coloured saloon round a major intersection, blocking traffic.
The trail of violence took place barely a kilometre away from Melbourne Park where the world’s top tennis stars were playing the opening Grand Slam of the year in a city teeming with tourists.
Police shot the 26-year-old male driver – who has a history of family violence, mental health and drug issues – in the arm and arrested him.
“This individual is not related to any counter-terrorism or any terrorism-related activities,” said Graham Ashton, chief commissioner for the state of Victoria.
“He is not on our books as having any connection with terrorism and we’re not regarding this as a terrorism-related incident.
“What we do know of the person is there is an extensive family violence history involved.”
Three people were killed at different locations on Bourke Street, a man and a woman in their 30s and a child whose age was not given for privacy reasons, Ashton said.
A fourth person was confirmed dead by police later, but their age and gender were not released.
Fifteen others were hurt. Five were in a critical condition, including an infant, he added.
The Royal Children’s Hospital said it was treating three children aged three months, two years and nine years. A fourth child aged 13 was treated and discharged late Friday.
“The prayers and heartfelt sympathies of all Australians are with the victims and the families of the victims of this shocking crime in Melbourne today,” Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said in a statement.
‘History of violence’
The driver allegedly stabbed his brother in the suburb of Windsor six kilometres south of Bourke Street early on Friday, Ashton said.
Police had tried to intercept his car before it entered the city about 1.45 pm local time (2.45am Irish time) and he was seen driving erratically outside Melbourne’s main train station in the afternoon.
“We believe this male did some ‘doughnuts’ at Flinders Street and Swanston Street, turned left into the Bourke Street mall and deliberately drove into the crowd, continued along the footpath colliding with further pedestrians,” Police Acting Commander Stuart Bateson said.
YouTube footage showed the driver wearing a light-coloured top half-hanging out of the vehicle and gesturing to pedestrians.
One witness, Kylie Clark, told Melbourne’s Herald Sun she saw “bodies flying through the air”.
“It seemed to me they (the vehicle that hit people) were being chased by an unmarked police car.”
Another witness told the newspaper “he wasn’t stopping and people walking were trying to get away and he just kept going and collected people on his way”.
A witness, who asked not to be named, told AFP “it was carnage up the footpath”.
Heavily armed officers were deployed around the scene as television footage showed the badly damaged car with the front doors open and the windscreen smashed.
A handcuffed man in his underwear was seen lying on a footpath surrounded by police.
Other pictures showed an upturned baby pram. The child in the pram was one of the critically injured, Aston said.
The suspect was charged last weekend by police, Aston added, without giving further details.
“He has come to our attention on many occasions in the past. We have mental health and drug-related issues in the background of this particular person.
“He has been coming to our attention more recently over recent days in relation to assaults, family violence-related assaults.”
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Sounds like he was off his tits on ice which is a huge problem over here…that junction of Flinders/Swanston outside Flinders St station is one of the busiest junctions in the city…
I was shocked how big meth is there when I visited. Amy idea why it’s bigger there than here?
Another lone guy with mental health issues ..isn’t this media fairytale getting a bit thin at this stage …
@Steve Austin: The car he used was taken from his 76 year old neighbour. On Wednesday night he went into Gavin Wilsons flat with a Bible, sat down and started burning it then threw it into Mr Wilson’s face. Then he punched him.
@Marlowemallow: Jihadists have mental health problems, drug addictions and criminal tendencies too. But the current mainstream narrative is pretty much that only card-carrying IS member with signed written orders from al Baghdadi, perfect mental health and no history of drug addiction or criminality can be jihadist terroriss. The idea that a crime can have a dozen contributory motives is applied to anything except crimes that might have even the slightest, most partial Jihadist or Islamic fundamentalist motive.
Horrifying. Probably high on some crazy shit . Poor people.
Happened near the Telstra building where I have friends. Right in the middle of the city. Awful. So sad. The pictures coming out of there are horrendous. News.com.au
That poor baby’s, poor mother. Still in shock.
RIP. At least they got the b*****d that did it. Nutter. Bet he was on ice.
Good few blocks from the Telstra building that you know people in.
Depends what Telstra building Dave. It is one block from the lonsdale street one
The Telstra building is on 242 Exhibition St, quite a number of blocks away from the part of Bourke St where the incident ended.
I work closeby too but not making a fanfare
Telstra Lonsdale st is also far away, at least 5-6 blocks counting the lanes
I’ve been to Australia too
Police asked media to remove footage of a witness stating on video that he was shouting Allahu Akbar in case people might think it was a terrorist attack. The video is out there.
The attacker allegedly recently posted religious rants on social media. Describes himself as Yezidi or as Greek Islamic Kurdish.video collection indicated an interest in the Nice attack. Almost all deleted now but the screenshots are available. Looks more and more like drug addiction fuelled jihad.
Prove it or stop blatantly lieing
@DaveSh: I could provide links to it all but since you’ve already somehow concluded that I’m blatantly lying without having investigated for yourself, I’m not particularly inclined to.
@Marlowemallow LOL! You’ve gone full tinfoil,never go full tinfoil,you are now a parody of yourself!
A parody of yourself ! ah come on Liam talk about the pot calling the kettle black !
Been switching between your Marlowemallow and Mike Cantwell profiles again I see!
Ah poor Liam !
Yep high as a kite apparently it was his brother he had stabbed the night before.
Witnesses stated the man was screaming “Ahhalu Akbar” but it’s nothing to do with terrorism. Yeah right.
“Not a terrorist act” why are these people hiding the truth? https://twitter.com/jpy_kurdish/status/822300716278710272
That there’s some buuuulshit!
Why do so many civilised people go out of their way to defend these people it’s actually beyond belief. I wonder would a Muslim defend a person of a different faith?
I’m wondering what your comment has got to do with this story ?
Do a bit of proper research to find out what the man was shouting as he ran over innocent people and then re read my comment it’ll make more sense to you then pet
The Herald Sun tweeted this video statement from an eye witness and then removed it.
@Marlowemallow: And here, six hours ago, you’ll find a tweet from Herald Sun reporter including that video and stating: “Police have asked me to take down this video of man speaking to journos at scene. They’re concerned it makes ppl believe it was a terror event”.
That’s western appeasement of jihadism as it works in reality. Censorship of the press.
Seems fairly close to a terrorist act? Oh wait, is he white? Silly me, it’s wasn’t terrorism it was dangerous driving.
@David Byrne: Oxford English dictionary definition of terrorism:
“the unlawful use of violence and intimidation, especially against civilians, in the pursuit of politics aims.”
Even if this guy was a Kurdish muslim who shouted Allahu Akbar as he mowed people down while high on ice that still doesn’t prove it was terrorism.
Turns out wasn’t white after all….
If a fly landed in Marlowemallow’s soup he’d claim it shouted ‘Allahu-Akbar’ before hitting the bowl.
Your fellow Islamist was shouting it Liam
Just walked by Swanson St.. Still cordoned off hours later, police making a show of force of some sort
Yeah disgraceful how they’d want to secure the scene and preserve any evidence.
It is, 6hrs later. CBD still on lockdown.
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