A man is in custody after the car he was driving ploughed into pedestrians and two other vehicles in Melbourne’s busy CBD, killing one person and injuring five others.
The incident occurred on Bourke Street at 6.20pm on Sept. 8.
Bourke Street was closed overnight, but has reopened after tow trucks early on Sept. 9 removed a white Hyundai whose 76-year-old driver died in the crash, and a grey Mazda SUV—believed to be an Uber—from the scene.
Three pedestrians—a 26-year-old man from South Yarra, a 23-year-old woman from China and a 35-year-old woman from Docklands—were taken to hospital.
Two are in a stable condition and the other remains in a serious condition.
Two people travelling in the grey Mazda, aged 30 and 37 and both from Diggers Rest, were also taken to hospital with minor injuries.
Superintendent Zorka Dunstan said a 26-year-old man from Melton West was arrested at the scene and taken into custody.
Video footage of the arrest shared on social media shows a man with long dark hair, wearing white pants and a white long-sleeved top and no shoes, sitting on top of his white Toyota sedan following the incident.
Supt. Dunstan said three officers on foot patrol nearby were able to take the driver into custody quickly.
“Obviously any incident of this magnitude is concerning for Victoria Police but at this stage, there are no terrorist links,” Supt. Dunstan said at the scene on Sept. 8 night.
Supt. Dunstan said the man was known to police through “mental health interactions” and was undergoing a mental health assessment.
“I can assure the community that there is no ongoing threat,” Supt. Dunstan said.
Police on Sept. 9 said the man was in hospital under police guard.
The streets of Melbourne were packed on Sept. 8 ahead of Carlton’s AFL elimination final against Sydney at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).
Police were grateful to bystanders who came to the aid of the injured.
“In any of these situations, it’s obviously critical that we get assistance where we can,” Supt Dunstan said.
“We were obviously very grateful for the people who’ve rendered assistance and we'll also be speaking to them and offering support.”
Supt. Dunstan urged witnesses and anyone with dashcam footage to contact police.
Police are expected to update the media later on Sept. 9.
