Two men were arrested in Australia after the SUV in which they were travelling rammed into pedestrians on a busy central Melbourne street Thursday, leaving 14 people injured in what police believe was a deliberate act.
Victoria state police said the driver of the vehicle and a second man were in custody after the collision, which occurred on Flinders Street in the city's central business district just after 4:45 p.m. when the area was busy with Christmas shoppers.
Commander Russell Barrett told media that while the motive was not immediately clear, "at this stage we believe it was a deliberate act."
Asked if police had ruled out terrorism as motivation, Barrett said only: "At this stage it's early days in the investigation and the motivation is unknown."
Barrett confirmed 14 people had been injured in the attack. Several were taken to hospitals, and two were in critical condition, including a pre-school aged child with head injuries.
Members of the public stand behind police tape after Australian police said on Thursday they have arrested the driver of a vehicle that ploughed into pedestrians at a crowded intersection near the Flinders Street train station in central Melbourne, Australia on Thursday. (Melanie Burton/Reuters)
Witnesses described horrific scenes from the incident, which started when the SUV ran a red light outside Flinders Street train station and sped up to hit pedestrians, striking more than a dozen people before crashing into a traffic barrier by a cable car stop.
"I was crossing Flinders Street on the way to the train station. I heard an engine rev behind me and heard a thump," one man identified only as David said on ABC TV. He said he turned around saw "people literally getting thrown into the air as it hit them."
'There was no braking'
Witnesses said when the car crashed it was rushed by bystanders who started pulling the two men out before police arrived a few minutes later.
A witness told the Australian Broadcasting Corp the vehicle was travelling at 80 to 100 km/h
"There was no breaking or any slowing down at all," said Jim Stoupas, who said he was standing outside his doughnut shop when the car crashed into the people, one after another.
"All you could hear was just 'bang bang bang bang bang'," he said.
Police said they deployed officers across the area and the site would be closed-off as a crime scene for some time.
"Police will continue to have a strong presence in the Melbourne CBD tonight," Barrett said.
