Melbourne car incident: Four dead, man arrested after pedestrians hit in Bourke Street Mall

Updated January 21, two thousand seventeen 00:11:53

A youthfull child is among four people who are dead after a car was deliberately driven into pedestrians in Melbourne’s Bourke Street Mall, police say.

Key points:

Police say driver was linked to an earlier stabbing in the city’s south
Children are among the at least twenty four people injured
Police say incident was not terror related

It is believed 26-year-old Dimitrious Gargasoulas, also known as James, was the driver. Police have not confirmed his identity.

Police said they shot the suspect before he was arrested on Bourke St. He is under police guard in hospital.

They said he had been linked to an early morning stabbing in the city’s south.

A man and a woman, both in their 30s, and the child, were killed in different locations along Bourke St, Police Commissioner Graham Ashton said.

Police announced that a fourth person had died later in the evening.

Police said more than twenty people were injured. Up to five are understood to be in a critical condition.

The injured were taken to The Alfred, St Vincent’s, Royal Melbourne and Royal Children’s hospitals.

A three-month-old is being operated on after being rushed to the hospital in a police car and a two-year-old is in intensive care.

Commissioner Ashton said at 1:45pm the vehicle entered the city driving erratically and did “burnouts” on the corner of Swanston and Flinders streets.

“The vehicle proceeded up Swanston Street, then turned left into Bourke Street and entered the mall,” he said.

“We suspect that [the driver was] intentionally hitting pedestrians. Travelling at speed right through the mall.

“It has then continued along Bourke Street, continuing over the intersection of Elizabeth Street and it has made its way up to approximately 501, or thereabouts outside the RACV Club in Bourke Street.

“At that time, police intercepted the vehicle, as I understand it, they rammed the vehicle.”

Police said they believed the man was involved in a stabbing at Two:15am in Windsor, where he allegedly attacked his brother.

Commissioner Ashton said the suspect was known to police and was also charged over an incident last weekend.

“There is an extensive family violence history involved. 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 said.

“He has been coming to our attention more recently over latest days in relation to assaults, family violence-related assaults.”

He said they attempted to intercept the vehicle this morning but he was driving so erratically they called off the pursuit and called in the air wing.

Commissioner Ashton said there was a woman in the car with the man as he travelled over the Bolte Bridge towards the city from Yarraville. She got out of the car on the bridge.

He said investigators were attempting to determine why she was in the car, or if she was being held hostage.

‘A terrible crime has been committed’: Premier

Premier Daniel Andrews called the incident “heartbreaking”.

“A terrible criminal act was committed this afternoon in the central business district of our good city,” he said.

“Our thoughts, our prayers, our love, our best wishes, our profound sympathy are with those who have been so terribly bruised by this evil crime.

“We owe it to them and to the ongoing safety of all Victorians to do this job decently, and we will.”

Mr Andrews praised emergency services, and the many bystanders who came to people’s aid.

“I’m just so proud of all of those Victorians who reached out and provided support and care to strangers,” he said.

Lord Mayor Robert Doyle said he witnessed the car attempt and turn down Collins Street from Swanston Street, but the driver was deterred by the bollards in place.

“To our absolute horror we observed him turn back onto the footpath on Swanston St at lunchtime on Friday and accelerated down Swanston,” he said.

“It was just horrific, you think about how busy Swanston St is at any time of day, but lunchtime on a Friday.

“It’s fairly unreal. There’s an air of unreality, but horror.”

Mohammed Minhaz said he spotted three people hit by the car when he was waiting at the corner of Bourke and Queen streets.

“I spotted a crimson car coming from the sidewalk hitting people. He just was driving, he didn’t stop for anyone. The people were flying,” he said.

Mr Minhaz said he witnessed the car drive up on the footpath then on pedestrian crossing.

“He hit one person on the footpath,” he said.

Acting Commander Stuart Bateson asked people to avoid the city this afternoon and overnight.

“It is going to take us a indeed long time to process this scene. Our priority at the moment is with the injured, and it must be that we give them our attention,” he said.

“We ask members of the public that perhaps witnessed the incident, if they’ve left the city, please log your details with Crime Stoppers.”

Armed police wearing bullet-proof vests and helmets were seen moving through the area, along with uniformed and plain-clothed officers.

There were also a number of ambulances and paramedics dotted across the streets.

Witnesses report car driving ‘recklessly’

One witness, Laura, said she eyed a car being driven recklessly near Flinders Street Station.

“People were attempting to stop this man who was driving around and around and he was half dangling outside the car,” she said.

Another witness said dozens of police were onto the driver quickly.

“I was just down on the corner and I just heard two gunshots and I just thought it was one of those cars that makes a similar sound,” he said.

“Then I heard yelling and screaming and spotted the special unit squad car and all of a unexpected witnessed all the armed officers running towards the car, and by the time I got to the vehicle they were all on top of him already.”

Former Victoria Police commissioner Christine Nixon witnessed the incident unfold and said one of the injured was a youthfull child, who appeared to get thrown out of a pram.

“[The mother] she just kept asking me, ‘Where’s the baby’ and [I said] I don’t know,” Ms Nixon said.

Ms Nixon said the car missed her by a metre while she was standing on the corner of Bourke and William streets.

“I kind of just stepped back, and he went by and then continued on down Bourke Street on the footpath, being chased by police officers, who were very likely about two or three seconds down the road pursuing him,” she said.

“I kind of stood there in some shock and surprise to then hear shots, which I clearly now understand to have been Victoria Police, who had fired shots to stop the individual, as I understand it.

“There was a lot of people on the ground, many bystanders ran to help those people.”

Myer locked down during the incident

Police were said to be on the scene almost instantly, one witness said.

One man in the area at the time said he eyed a person lounging in the middle of the road.

“I was just walking up Queens Street ready to go to Bourke Street Mall and then I spotted people running in the opposite direction away from Bourke Street,” he said.

“I asked what happened and someone said shots were fired.”

Nearby department store Myer was locked down during the incident, keeping customers inwards for a brief period, before ushering them out the back onto Little Bourke Street.

Melbourne car incident: Four dead, man arrested after pedestrians hit in Bourke Street Mall – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

Melbourne car incident: Four dead, man arrested after pedestrians hit in Bourke Street Mall

Police said the driver did "burnouts" near Flinders Street Station before allegedly hitting pedestrians.

A youthful child is among four people who are dead after a car was deliberately driven into pedestrians in Melbourne’s Bourke Street Mall, police say.

Key points:

Police say driver was linked to an earlier stabbing in the city’s south
Children are among the at least twenty four people injured
Police say incident was not terror related

Photo Dimitrious Gargasoulas in a Facebook photo.