Australia Car rams into pedestrians in Melbourne; up to 19 injured

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 incident, 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 of the incident 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 boy with head injuries. Earlier media reports said up to 19 people had been injured.

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.”

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.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull sent a tweet calling the incident “shocking” and said his thoughts and prayers were with the victims and those treating them.

Police said officers have been deployed 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. Trevor Marshallsea, Sydney, AP