A man with a history of mental health and drug abuse issues drove into a street crowded with pedestrians in Australia’s second-largest city on Friday, killing at least four people, including a child, and injuring around 15 others, police said.

The chaos began in the early afternoon, after a man was seen driving in erratic circles in the middle of a major intersection in downtown Melbourne. The driver then turned onto the Bourke Street Mall, a pedestrian-only road, deliberately mowing people down before continuing onto a sidewalk and hitting several others, Victoria state Police Acting Commander Stuart Bateson said.

Police shot the driver and arrested him at the scene. The 26-year-old man was being treated at a hospital for injuries, that did not appear life-threatening, police said. Officials have not released his name and said there is no further threat to the public.

The incident comes amid global concern over extremists using vehicles to strike crowds, following truck attacks in Berlin and Nice, France, last year. Police Chief Commissioner Graham Ashton said the Melbourne incident had no links to terrorism.


The driver has a history of mental health and drug abuse issues and has an extensive record of domestic violence, Ashton told reporters. Last weekend, he was arrested after police say he assaulted members of his family.

Before he began his rampage through Melbourne, police say he was involved in a domestic stabbing incident in a suburb earlier Friday. Police tried to intercept his vehicle but called off the chase before he entered the downtown area because he was driving so erratically. Ashton said they feared a chase through the city might endanger the community.

Two adults and a child were killed after being struck by the man’s car, Ashton said. They were not related. A fourth person died in a hospital Friday night. Police did not release any details on that victim.

An additional 15 people were injured. Of those, five — including an infant — were in critical condition.


Sharn Baylis, a tourist from the southern city of Adelaide, said she was on Bourke Street when she mistook the car for an unmarked police vehicle before it started slamming into pedestrians.

“He was just collecting people as he was going along, and they were flying like Skittles, basically,” Baylis told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. “He was just driving in a really determined fashion, just in a straight line. There was no hesitancy as he got to the crowds, and he didn’t swerve. It was just — he just drove through them.”

Video footage shot from a news helicopter showed several officers standing over a man lying on the sidewalk, clad only in his underwear, his hands apparently handcuffed behind his back.

A video posted on social media captured the moment the car began driving in circles in the intersection before continuing on toward Bourke Street. The driver could be seen hanging out the window, apparently shouting.


The crisis unfolded at a particularly busy time in Melbourne, which is hosting the Australian Open tennis championship. Officials said the event was continuing as normal.

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UPDATES:

8:40 a.m. Jan. 20: This article was updated with the death toll rising to four.

7:50 p.m.: This article was updated with additional details throughout.


This article was originally published at 7:20 p.m. Jan. 19.