Terrified pedestrians flee as car mounts footpath in Melbourne before crashing into casino
DOZENS of pedestrians were forced to flee after a car mounted footpaths as it rampaged through Melbourne street before crashing the foyer of a casino.
Pedestrians run after car ploughs through businesses in Melbourne
A 34-year-old man, from the Australian city’s suburb of Burwood East, has been arrested over the incident which occurred at 2pm BST (11pm local time) on Tuesday.
Witnesses told Australia’s 7 News that bystanders were sent screaming as the car travelled through several streets before crashing into the foyer of the Crown Casino on Collins Street.
A witness said: “He was not on the road, on the footpath. He could have killed someone. A lot of people on the street. I think it was nearly 50-60 km/h.”
A white SUV mounted the footpaths of Melbourne streets
The car travelled through several streets and mouth footpaths in several streets in Melbourne
Footage from scene shows pedestrians running to get out of the path of the vehicle which can be seen ramming into two major banks chains, ANZ and the Commonwealth Bank.
Police suspect it was not a deliberate attempt to hit pedestrians and the target may have been the banks on Swanston Street, but investigations are ongoing.
No one was reportedly injured in the incident.
The car crashed into ANZ bank, Commonwealth before smashing into the foyer of the Crown Casino
It follows January's Bourke Street Mall tragedy, when accused killer Dimitrious Gargasoulas sped down Swanston Street in a stolen car before turning onto Bourke Street, killing six pedestrians and injuring dozens more.
Anti-terror concrete bollards had been installed in the city’s Federation Square and Bourke Street on Saturday.
But the temporary concrete bollards - which will be replaced by permanent features - are understood not to have been in place on Swanston Street when Tuesday’s incident occurred.
He was not on the road [but] on the footpath
Melbourne’s premier Daniel Andrews said more bollards would be placed elsewhere in the city centre but for security reasons could not reveal the locations.
The bollards are being put in place following heightened fears of vehicles mounting pavements following the January incident as well as the two incidents in London this year.
ISIS has also urged its twisted jihadis to target the UK, US and Australia in the last weeks of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.