Three dead, 20 injured in Bourke Street Mall, Melbourne, as car knocks down pedestrians

Saturday, 7.40am: Bourke Street Mall still remains closed - police expect it to reopen at 8am. Swanston Street is now open. Bourke Street still remains closed between Elizabeth Street and Swanston Street. 

VicRoads reports that the following roads are still closed: 

Saturday, 7.30am: A man identified as Dimitrious 'Jimmy' Gargasoulas allegedly drove a car through a crowd of pedestrians on Bourke Street, killing four people and injuring at least 20 others.

Among the four people killed were a man in his 30s, a woman in her 30s, and a young child. Police confirmed the death of the fourth person on Friday night but have not released the victim's age or gender. 

The Australian Jewish News is reporting that one of the victims was a 10-year-old girl from Beth Rivkah College in St Kilda East. The publication also said the girl's mother and sister were in hospital in a critical condition. 

A three-month-old baby girl who was rushed to hospital by police officers is among six people with life-threatening injuries.

Three people are in a critical condition at the Royal Melbourne Hospital and two are in a critical condition at The Alfred.

An additional 23 people are being treated for injuries in Melbourne hospitals.

Mr Gargasoulas, 26, has been arrested. He is in hospital after being shot in the arm by police.

Mr Gargasoulas is accused of stabbing his brother, Angelo, in his mother's public housing flat in Windsor on Friday morning. Police said he has a history of family violence, as well as mental health and drug problems.

On Wednesday night, Mr Gargasoulas allegedly attacked 76-year-old Gavin Wilson, who lives at his mother's housing commission flats, and demanded the keys to his car.

A maroon sedan was used in Friday's rampage.

Mr Gargasoulas, who is a father to a number of children, has been posting ranting and and angry comments on social media this week about God, war and police.

Police said the incident was not terror-related.

Friday, 7pm: What we know so far

Hospital update: 

The condition of a nine-year-old child injured in today's incident has improved from serious to stable. 

A three-month-old girl remains in a critical condition. She had to be rushed to the hospital in a police car because there simply was no time to wait for an ambulance to reach the scene. 

A 12-year-old and a two-year-old remain in a serious condition, while a 23 year old woman also being treated at the the hospital is in a stable condition.

A total of 25 people have been hospitalised. Fifteen were pedestrians knocked down by the car and 10 appear to be people who were admitted to hospital after witnessing the incident. 

A three month old baby was in surgery at the Royal Children's Hospital at about 5pm on Friday afternoon, while a two year old is fighting for its in the intensive care unit.

They were among five people, including an adult, injured in the chaos who were taken to the RCH. An additional 20 people have been taken to St Vincent's, Royal Melbourne and The Alfred.

"We received five patients here to the childrens hospital. A three-month-old who's currently in the operating theatre, a two-year-old who is being transferred to the intensive care unit, a nine year old with limb injuries who is being transferred to the ward and a 12 year old who is currently undergoing assessments in the ED department," RCH chief of surgery Mike O'Brien said.

"None of the children have deceased yet but it would be fair to say they are in a critical condition."

The hospital also treated a 23 year old woman with a limb injury, he said.

The RCH did not need to declare a code brown - the highest level of alert - as a result of the incident.

"We've been able to address the situation with the resources that we have at hand and will continue to manage it appropriately," he said.

Victoria Police’s Chief Commissioner Graham Ashton

Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Graham Ashton said three people were killed in the incident - a man in his 30s, a woman in her 30s and a young child. 

"For reasons of family notification I will not give the age (of the child)." 

He said all three were struck in different parts of Bourke Street and were not connected. None of them were in Bourke Street Mall when they were hit by the vehicle. 

Fifteen people were injured by the vehicle, he said.

Of these, five people are in a critical condition, including a three-month-old baby who has been taken to hospital in a police car because there was no time to wait for an ambulance to arrive. 

He said the arrested man had an extensive history of family violence, drug and mental health problems. The man had  come to police attention in recent days because of some assaults.

Chief Commissioner Ashton said people who were also presenting at hospitals with health problems after witnessing the incident. 

Premier: Police have confirmed the three dead include a man and woman aged in their 30s and a child. 

The age of the child has not been released until authorities can inform relatives. 

Authorities do not believe the dead were related, saying they were found at different intersections.

Those in hospital include five people in a critical condition. One is an infant. 

Police reaffirmed they were not treating the incident as an act of terrorism.  

The alleged driver arrested in relation to the carnage had come to greater prominence for police in recent days due to “family violence”, police said.

Anyone seeking to check on family members is urged to call 1800 727 077.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews is speaking to the media. 

“Our hearts are breaking this afternoon, with a number of people having died, others remain in a critical condition...but we are stronger than this,” he said. 

“We can be confident that we are stronger than this evil, criminal act.”

Hospital update: A spokeswoman for the Alfred Hospital said three of five patients being treated there are in a critical but stable condition and two are in a serious condition. 

She said the Alfred hospital was prepared to take more patients, and that staff understood paramedics were still treating some people at the scene. 

Meanwhile, a spokesman for the Victorian health department said no state emergency plans were triggered by the disaster, and that emergency services had handled the situation as well as could be expected. 

At least 25 people have been hospitalised and paramedics are treating more injured people at the scene. 

Dozens of shaken witnesses have gathered at Melbourne West police station to provide statements. One woman, who did not want to be named, said she saw a mother who was pushing her baby in pram struck by the car on the Bourke Street footpath, near Williams Street.

"The baby flew into the air," she said. "The mother was lying on the ground covered in blood."

Police asked the woman and her colleague to get first aid materials and a defibrillator, and she returned to the scene with the equipment. 

She was told that the mother and her daughter were alive one hour after the incident. 

"It was just horrible."

We should point out that while we know a young child has been killed, police have not yet confirmed the child's age. 

Reaction: Melbourne Lord Mayor Robert Doyle has put out a video of a press conference he was giving on the steps of Melbourne Town Hall when the car sped through Swanston Street. 

"It is very difficult to believe these sort of things could happen right in front of you in the city".

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull also offered condolences. 

“Our prayers and deepest sympathy are with the victims & their families, of this vicious criminal attack in Bourke St Melbourne today,” he said. 

Victoria Police statement: 

“Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding an incident that took place in the Melbourne CBD this afternoon.

It is believed police were in pursuit of a vehicle in the CBD when the vehicle deliberately struck a number of pedestrians in the vicinity of Bourke and Queens Streets at approximately 1.30pm.

Police shot the man who was the sole occupant of the vehicle and he received bullet wounds.

He was taken into custody where he is being treated for non-life threatening injuries.

The incident is not terrorism related.

Police understand the incident is linked to a stabbing that took place in Windsor early this morning (20 January) involving parties known to one another.

Following this incident, it is alleged the same man took a woman, who is known to him, hostage in his car. She managed to escape from the car on the Bolte Bridge earlier today.

Three people have been confirmed deceased with more than 20 people injured.

The deceased are yet to be formally identified however police can confirm one of the deceased is a young child.

Police and emergency services remain on the scene and request that people avoid the area.

Police have blocked the Bourke Street between William Street and Swanston Streets including the Bourke Street Mall.

The Homicide Squad will be investigating with the assistance of the Major Collision Investigation Unit.”

Hospital update: There have been at least 25 people hospitalised. 

Ten have been taken to the Royal Melbourne, six to St Vincent's, five to The Alfred and four to the Royal Children's Hospital.

The RCH will be holding a press conference at 4.45pm.  

Man arrested wanted over stabbing: The man arrested over the car chase through the Melbourne CBD was wanted over a stabbing in St Kilda on Thursday night and is currently the subject of multiple bail orders. 

Police sources say officers called off pursuit of the man before his car entered the CBD around 1:30pm, fearing it was too dangerous to ram the vehicle.

"A male deliberately drove into pedestrians in Bourke Street Mall. We have three deceased and 20 injured.

"We believe this is connected to an earlier stabbing in the southern metro region. We have the offender in custody. I can also confirm this is not a CT related incident. There is no ongoing threat to the public," police said. 

Police are advising people to stay out of the CBD. 

Witness reaction: Witness Maria Kitjapanon says she saw the maroon car come up Bourke Street Mall, before it was rammed by a police car. Police officers then fired into the car, she said, before pulling out a man.

Ms Kitjapanon said she saw a young child being hit by the maroon car.

"I was walking up Bourke Street, I'd come up from Southern Cross. I was nearly at the intersection, and I saw the car – which was incredibly battered even by that stage - it was coming straight towards me on the footpath. It took me a couple of seconds to compute – so I stepped aside onto the road.

"As I was stepping off another police car came about and rammed into the maroon car to make it stop. There were probably 10 police surrounding that guy’s car, with guns drawn, and they fired into the car.

"Then they dragged someone out via the passenger’s side, then all 10 of them sat on top of him.

"There'd been a baby in a pram who'd been hit, and that baby was just on the footpath there with a couple of people trying to assist."

Three people dead, many injured: Three people have died in a high-speed car chase through the centre of the Melbourne CBD that saw numerous pedestrians run down and gunshots fired, ending with a dramatic arrest on Bourke Street.

About 20 people are believed to have been injured, many seriously with police warning that more people may die as a result of the incident. 

Police said the incident is not terror related and was connected to a stabbing in Windsor in the early hours of this morning. 

A maroon-coloured sedan was being pursued by police around 1:40pm when it crossed into the pedestrian-only section of Bourke Street Mall, driving erratically along the popular shopping strip.

Witness Rebecca Russo told Fairfax Media she saw three people hit by the car as it speed through the mall with police in pursuit.

"We were just standing on Bourke Street, and we heard a bit of a crash coming from the mall. I saw a maroon car driving up the pedestrian path on the Flinders Street side.

"People were running out of the way, they were going very very fast. I saw him hit a few people. I saw bodies flying into the air."

Emergency services have reported they are treating of number of injured at the scene, which is outside to the historic Melbourne GPO building.

The vehicle then crossed over Elizabeth Street, heading west along Bourke Street when other witnesses reported hearing gunshots.

Shortly afterwards, armed police surrounded the maroon car and dragged a single occupant from the vehicle. He was restrained and stripped down to his underwear, according to video and photos posted by observers in nearby buildings.

The vehicle is heavily damaged, with the hood crumpled in and a smashed windscreen.

Royal Children’s Hospital said they have received four children for treatment after the incident. 

“Our Emergency Department is very busy. If you were planning to bring your child here with a less urgent condition, but can see your GP or local hospital, we would appreciate if you could do so.”

Police have confirmed the three dead include a man and woman aged in their 30s and a child. 

The age of the child has not been released until authorities can inform relatives. 

Authorities do not believe the dead were related, saying they were found at different intersections.