Pedestrians 'mown down' by car in Melbourne

  • 21/12/2017

Fourteen people, including a pre-schooler, have been injured, after a car drove into a crowd of people in Melbourne's CBD. 

The Age reports that the pedestrians were "mown down" by a white four-wheel drive near the corner of Flinders and Elizabeth streets in Melbourne's CBD.

In a press conference, police said they were called to the scene at 4:45 (local time) and two men had been arrested in relation to the attack, but charges were yet to be laid.

They stressed that it was too early to understand the motivations behind the attack and could not say if terrorism was involved, but did believe it to be a deliberate act.

All cars and pedestrians are advised to avoid the area, and anyone with information is being asked to come forward.

"Police are currently attending an incident on Flinders St between Elizabeth and Swanston streets, where a vehicle has collided with a number of pedestrians," said police spokeswoman Creina O'Grady.

At 5:47pm (local time) Ambulance Victoria reported paramedics had taken 13 people to hospitals in the city, including a pre-school age child with a head injury. 

Two more people were assessed by paramedics at the scene.

The Age reports that a witness said she saw "people flying everywhere".

"We could hear this noise, as we looked left, we saw this white car, it just mowed everybody down," she said.

"People are flying everywhere. We heard thump, thump. People are running everywhere." 

Newshub.