This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2017/jan/20/car-pedestrians-bourke-street-melbourne

The article has changed 13 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 4 Version 5
Three killed after car mows down pedestrians in Melbourne Three killed, including a child, after car mows down pedestrians in Melbourne
(about 1 hour later)
Three people are dead, including a young child, and more than 20 injured after a car drove into pedestrians in Bourke Street mall, one of the busiest areas in Melbourne’s central business district. Three people have been killed, including a young child, and at least 15 injured after a car drove into pedestrians in Bourke Street, one of the busiest areas in Melbourne’s central business district.
Victoria police confirmed on Friday afternoon the victims were a young child and a man and a woman, both in their 30s. They were not believed to be related.
On Friday afternoon Victoria police confirmed a young child was among the dead, but could not give any further details about the victims. Victorian police commissioner Graham Ashton said the death toll could rise, as some of the injured were listed as critical, including a child whose pram could be seen lying on the road amid the carnage.
Images showed scenes of carnage in the street, with a badly damaged red car, people trying to help the injured and an upturned pram on the corner of William and Bourke streets. The Royal Children’s hospital said earlier it was treating five casualties, including a two-year-old who was in intensive care and a three-month-old who was undergoing an operation. Figures released by several other Melbourne hospitals put the total number of injured at 25, but in an afternoon media conference Ashton put the figure at 15.
In a statement police said they the driver had been shot and was being treated for non-life-threatening injures. They said it was a deliberate act, but not linked to terrorism. A 26-year-old man was taken into custody with non life-threatening injuries after police rammed his car and fired several shots. Police said the events had no connection with terrorism and the suspect, who was well known to them, had mental health and drug issues.
Police said the incident was connected to a stabbing that took place in the suburb of Windsor earlier in the day involving parties known to one another. They believe the same man took a woman hostage in his car. The woman managed to escape from the car on the Bolte Bridge, west of the city centre, they said. The chaos started when the man, driving a maroon car, stopped traffic by doing burnouts outside Flinders Street station about 1.30pm local time. He then drove up Swanston Street, turned left down Bourke Street mall and began mowing down pedestrians, police said.
Acting Commander Stuart Bateson said there was no longer any risk to the public. “A male deliberately drove into pedestrians in the Bourke Street mall,” Bateson said. The former Victorian police chief commissioner Christine Nixon was crossing the road when the car raced by and had to step out of the way. Nixon said she saw a pram on the ground and helped the mother.
“We currently have three deceased and 20 injuries … We believe it is connected to an earlier stabbing in the southern metro region.” “She kept asking me ‘where’s the baby’,” Nixon told ABC radio.
That stabbing occurred in the suburb of Windsor, to the south-east of Melbourne’s city centre, and left a man in hospital in a critical condition. The victim is understood to have known the attacker. A witness, Hank Kerr, told Guardian Australia he had seen people jumping out of the way but there were also people being hit and thrown to one side. “All we could see was just the car and carnage – people were flying everywhere.”
The car was reportedly driving erratically before it mounted the footpath and hit a number of pedestrians, according to witnesses.
Vision shows the car earlier driving in tight circles outside Flinders Street station.
“At this early stage it is believed a man driving a vehicle has struck a number of pedestrians in the vicinity of Bourke and Queens Streets just before 2pm,” Victoria police said in a statement.
“Emergency services are assisting multiple patients.”
A witness, Hank Kerr, said he had seen people jumping out of the way but there were also people being hit and thrown to one side. “All we could see was just the car and carnage – people were flying everywhere.”
Kerr said the car had mounted the footpath and kept driving up Bourke Street through crowds of pedestrians.Kerr said the car had mounted the footpath and kept driving up Bourke Street through crowds of pedestrians.
Hank Kerr was on the 96 tram when he saw a car hitting pedestrians in Bourke St. pic.twitter.com/k8o3c4LQjxHank Kerr was on the 96 tram when he saw a car hitting pedestrians in Bourke St. pic.twitter.com/k8o3c4LQjx
Another witness, who did not wish to be named, said he was walking from the post office towards the Bourke and Elizabeth street intersection when he heard a car “screaming down” the Bourke Street mall at high speed, which is for pedestrians and trams only.Another witness, who did not wish to be named, said he was walking from the post office towards the Bourke and Elizabeth street intersection when he heard a car “screaming down” the Bourke Street mall at high speed, which is for pedestrians and trams only.
“Because it was so loud I looked up and I saw one person bounce off the windscreen of the car before it disappeared down Bourke Street towards Spencer Street, and police cars were following it and a helicopter chasing it,” he told Guardian Australia.“Because it was so loud I looked up and I saw one person bounce off the windscreen of the car before it disappeared down Bourke Street towards Spencer Street, and police cars were following it and a helicopter chasing it,” he told Guardian Australia.
“I could see at least two groups of injured people. I saw someone lying on the ground near the corner of Bourke and Elizabeth and then someone else down near Bourke Street. Now they’ve blocked off all the streets.” “I could see at least two groups of injured people. I saw someone lying on the ground near the corner of Bourke and Elizabeth and then someone else down near Bourke Street.”
According to another, Meg Watson, the car mounted the kerb “at pace” and struck pedestrians.According to another, Meg Watson, the car mounted the kerb “at pace” and struck pedestrians.
A car mounted the sidewalk at pace and sent at least half a dozen pedestrians flying in the air. I was on the other side of the road. https://t.co/tSflMvpn2kA car mounted the sidewalk at pace and sent at least half a dozen pedestrians flying in the air. I was on the other side of the road. https://t.co/tSflMvpn2k
Victoria police said the circumstances were being investigated and pedestrian access to Bourke Street between William and Swanston streets had been closed. Witnesses reported hearing at least five gunshots before the man was arrested.
The corner of Bourke and Elizabeth streets was closed and some pedestrians were directed into the GPO by police as they tried to clear the area. “There’s someone on the middle of the ground and there’s blood all over the street,” shopkeeper Rishi Hathiramani told Australian Associated Press. “It’s pretty brutal.”
The four children are being treated at the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne. Three are in a serious condition and one is critical. A number of businesses went into lockdown, while others were evacuated.
The Victorian premier, Daniel Andrews, and the police chief commissioner, Graham Ashton, are expected to hold a joint press conference at 5pm. “A heap of people ran into my store, it was horrible. Half of my staff are in tears,” a Strandbags manager told AAP.
The federal opposition leader, Bill Shorten, described the scenes as “horrific”, tweeting: “Horrific scenes in Melbourne this afternoon. Hearts go out to all those who’ve been hurt.” City office worker William Mulholland said he came out of a laneway and saw a number of bodies lying on the pavement receiving CPR from police and emergency workers.
More than 10 police cars in the area. #bourkestreet corner #elizabethstreet closed to traffic. pic.twitter.com/etTln2A1kp He said his friend came out of the RACV building on Bourke Street and saw a body lying on the pavement in front of him.
Girlfriend phoned from Bourke Street. Saw multiple people struck by car. Police on scene. Keep out of the area. Stay safe @abcnewsMelb One witness told ABC radio he saw the car travelling along the footpath.
#MELBOURNE: MAJOR INCIDENT ON BOURKE STREET pic.twitter.com/R68h3TmGZD “It was a maroon Commodore travelling easily 70km/h on the footpath. We heard thumps and there was people flying everywhere,” he said.
Just in happening in Melbourne @BenedictBrook @newscomauHQ pic.twitter.com/3jfv9Y5KQ3 Police later recounted a chain of events that began with an alleged stabbing in the suburb of Windsor about 2am. At 11.45am, police alleged, the same man took a woman hostage in his car. She managed to escape on the Bolte Bridge, west of the city centre, they said. They did not believe the woman had any previous connection with the suspect.
BREAKING PICS JUST IN: A police pursuit took place through Bourke Street mall. The mall is now in lockdown. More to come. #9News pic.twitter.com/VN5tF9S03o Speaking at the same media conference, the Victorian premier, Daniel Andrews, paid tribute to the emergency services and said Victorians’ hearts were breaking at the news of the deaths.
He also thanked members of the public who had provided assistance to the injured.
“Every minute these last couple of hours we have heard more and more stories coming out of just ordinary Victorians coming to the aid of their fellow Victorians,” Andrews said. “Reaching out, helping, providing assistance, doing the right thing. That does them great credit and it makes me and it makes all of us very proud to be citizens of this great state.”
Andrews said there was no further threat to the public, and he said the state would overcome the horror of the day.
“But we are stronger than this. We, through our response, through the work of our emergency services, the work that the instinctive way in which Victorians have reached out to support each other, we can be confident that we are stronger than this evil criminal act.”
The prime minister, Malcolm Turnbull, said in a statement the prayers of all Australians were with the victims and their families.
He thanked the police and emergency workers, “joined by bystanders who, mindless of their own danger, sought to help those who had been attacked in this shocking crime”.
“Their love, their selflessness, their courage is the very best of our Australian spirit,” he said.
The federal opposition leader, Bill Shorten, echoed Turnbull’s sentiments, saying words could not capture the horror.
“We wait for answers, we wait for justice and tonight we hold all those in sadness and pain, close to our hearts.”