Dead and wounded in the Melbourne car attack

[kingwilly]

MELBOURNE showed extraordinary courage this afternoon as pedestrians rushed to help those killed and injured by a rampaging driver in the CBD.

The man mowed down adults and children in the city centre at around 1.40pm this afternoon, leaving at least three dead, a man and woman in their 30s and a child.

Fifteen people were injured with five in a critical condition, one of whom is an infant child, Victoria Police said. Witnesses said bodies flew through the air, with a baby thrown from a pram, which lay mangled in the street after the chaos.

Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Graham Ashton told ABC’s 7.30: “We’ve had many police on duty in the city, the Australian Open tennis is on here at the moment so we’ve got a lot of additional police on duty in the city.

“Many police were on the scene really quickly as a result of that, primarily those tasked with arresting the offender arrested the offender but we had many police involved in administering first aid to the injured, we had off-duty paramedics, people quickly coming to their assistance and also, importantly, members of the public, and this was incredible, we’ve had a lot of members of the public just stepping up straight away.

“Officers have told me of a sense almost of calm, of members of the public quickly coming to the aid of the injured and no doubt we need to pay testimony to their efforts tonight because but for their efforts this death toll could have been a lot higher.”
Melburnians and tourists were seen helping emergency services to treat the injured, as blood spattered the streets. Other passers-by showed police officers images of the 26-year-old driver, who is known to police after domestic, running down pedestrians on their phones, to help with the investigation.

A woman in a smart dress and bare feet cradled an injured woman in the recovery position. Police took a critically injured child to hospital in a police car before paramedics arrived.

The driver was dragged from a crashed car and handcuffed at Bourke Street Mall, wearing just red underpants.

An employee of a health food store just off Bourke street said the scene was “just crazy”, with injured people all down the street frantically seeking help.

“You could hear the car hitting stuff and people were just screaming,” the witness told news.com.au. “People were running everywhere. It was just crazy.”

He said he saw two bodies covered up lying near emergency personnel.

“I can’t believe it. There was one guy who was just screaming near them (the bodies).

He looked real bad. I think he just lost his mate.”

“They were just over there, but there were people injured all up the street.”

Domenic Stephen tweeted that his wife was among those who helped the injured. “My wife has assisted the injured and given a statement to Police as a witness after she narrowly missed being hit in the #Melbourne CBD,” he said. “She is extremely fortunate to be uninjured. Understandably, she is very shaken.”

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said: “I want to pay special tribute every minute these last couple of hours we have heard more and more stories coming out of ordinary Victorians coming to the aid of their fellow Victorians reaching out, helping, providing assistance, doing the right thing. That does them great credit and it makes me and all of us very proud to be citizens of this great state.

“So we thank each and every member of the public everyone affected around this incident who has reached out to provide support, care and love to those that have been affected. Our hearts are breaking this afternoon that a number of people have died.

“Others remain in a critical condition, very, very serious ill or gravely ill in hospitals around our city but we are stronger than this. We through our response, through the work of our emergency services, the work that the instinctive way in which Victorians have reached to support each other we can be confident we are stronger than this evil criminal act.


“I want to pay special tribute every minute these last couple of hours we have heard more and more stories coming out of ordinary Victorians coming to the aid of their fellow Victorians reaching out, helping, providing assistance, doing the right thing. That does them great credit and it makes me and all of us very proud to be citizens of this great state.”

Melbourne’s Lord Mayor Robert Doyle described how the driver found his way from Flinders Street Station towards Bourke Street Mall, in a video tweet posted this afternoon.

“As that car reached Colin Street it accelerated down Swanson Street, attempted to turn left into Little Collins St and then to our horror, because its way was blocked by the bollards which were in place at lunch time, it mounted the pavement and drove at speed down towards the Bourke Street Mall.

“The rest of the story unfolded at the mall.”

Melbourne CBD car chase at Bourke St Mall: Pedestrians? acts of kindness

VICTIMS OF THE MELBOURNE CBD ATTACK
THE DEAD

- A 10-year-old child and man and woman in their 30s were killed at the scene
- They were each found at separate locations along Bourke Street and are not believed to be related.

INJURED
- More than 20 people were injured
- Seven were taken to The Alfred hospital: two critical, two serious and three stable
- 11 were taken to Royal Melbourne: three critical, two serious and six stable
- A 23-year-old was also treated for minor limb injuries at The Royal Children's Hospital
- A number of others went to hospitals in shock after witnessing the incident
- The 26-year-old driver was shot by officers and taken to hospital under police custody. He is believed to have been shot in the arm.

CHILDREN
- The victims included four children who are being treated at the Royal Children's Hospital, including a three-month-old in critical condition
- Their injuries range from neurological and abdominal to wounded limbs
- A two-year-old toddler is in intensive care in a serious condition
- A nine-year-old is being treated for limb injuries
- A 13-year-old is in stable condition after undergoing assessment in the emergency department

WINDSOR STABBING
- The driver has been linked to a stabbing in Windsor in the early hours of Friday morning which left a man, believed to be his brother, in hospital in critical condition

Dead and wounded in the Melbourne attack

[baldrick]

MELBOURNE showed extraordinary courage

really ? or hyperbole ?

“As that car reached Colin Street it accelerated down Swanson Street, attempted to turn left into Little Collins St and then to our horror, because its way was blocked by the bollards which were in place at lunch time, it mounted the pavement and drove at speed down towards the Bourke Street Mall.

high on ice ?

[kingwilly]

high on ice ?

Police said he had drug and mental health issues.

3 dead. 20 wounded, possibly 5 more expected to die. baby in pram, 3 year old kid.

I'm glad police shot the fukker, but obviously not enough times.

This is my hometown. I've taken my kids down that mall plenty of times.

At lunch time. crowded as fuck. plenty of videos on youtube and facebook.

[jamescollister]

I'm in Geelong, near Melbourne so watched it on TV from the start, lots of cover up going on.
Government is in full PC mode, declaring it a non terror event before the injured and dead had been moved.
Cops are in damage control, seems he was being pursued after an alleged kidnap, but was driving too fast and the pursuit was called off.
Police were requesting permission to ram the car and that was refused.

Facebook is full of video with witnesses saying he was yelling god is great etc, can't believe the net, but can't believe the official story also.

His face book page, which I believe has been removed now, was foretelling his actions, plus he was released on bail for a knife attack about 6 days ago.

They were fast to say he was Greek, not middle eastern, but reports, if you believe them, saying Greek by Kurdish descent.

Nut job for sure, but motive will decide if it was an act of terror, between this, the prevented terror attack on Xmas and the Apex {north Africa gang] robbing, raping at wil,l the state government is as popular as syphilis.

[kingwilly]

Cover up? Jeepers. Tin foil hat.

[Maanaam]

They were fast to say he was Greek, not middle eastern, but reports, if you believe them, saying Greek by Kurdish descent.

"Dimitrious Gargasoulas, the Herald Sun reports."

Sounds Greek of Greek descent to me.

[blue]

I heard about the vibrant multicultural in Melbourne, ummm
think I'll stick with WA again on my next visit.

[Chittychangchang]

Melbourne has one of the bigest Greek populations outside of North London.

[jamescollister]

Cover up? Jeepers. Tin foil hat.

First rule of public service, be it elected or paid, is cover your arse.
Cover up your mistakes, don't make decisions that could come back and bit you.

[Seekingasylum]

Frankly, I would have thought to even the stupidest of folk that ethnicity and motivation is rather irrelevant if the criminal is crazier than a cut snake.

Not so long ago when the world had a modicum of common sense, and Americans were content to live the Dream without invading other countries, most schizo homicidal maniacs who had stabbed, throttled, pummelled or decapitated their victims to death often reported to the authorities that " God made me do it", a claim that is not unusual in the annals of modern psychiatry. Now, that didn't necessitate a clampdown on Christianity or the restriction of travel among its adherents.

A Greek of part Kurdish descent living among Ockers is perhaps not the best of combinations guaranteeing sanity but in truth it is really quite insignificant. Anyway, since when was being of Kurdish descent a prerequisite for violent behaviour?

Remember, stupidity is much more dangerous and kills many millions more, worldwide.

Just look at those poor old Africans in their refugee camp, happily going about their business content in the knowledge they were now safe and trouble free, when ....BAM!...fucking stupid NAF pilots slaughter 90 of them by mistake.

[Latindancer]

Nobody has mentioned the influence of movies in which there have been scenes of cars speeding up the footpath.

When we first saw scenes like this in movies i the 50s and 60s, they were shocking and excitingly horrifying to see.....which is why they were put in there.

Nowadays they are more commonplace in the movies and this kind of action has become casualized.

Not that I'm advocating banning violence in movies.....just pointing out their role.

[kingwilly]

I very much doubt that he was emulating Danny Glover in Lethal Weapon.

Anyway, a 5th person, the 3 month old baby has died.

[misskit]

Melbourne car deaths: Bail laws changed in Victoria state

The Australian state of Victoria has announced changes to the state's bail laws after a car deliberately hit pedestrians in central Melbourne.

Five people were killed when a car drove into the crowd in the Bourke St Mall after lunchtime on Friday.

The man accused of the attacks was bailed against the wishes of police five days earlier.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said a new Night Court will be set up for magistrates to hear bail requests.

Thalia Hakin, 10, Matthew Si, 33, and Jess Mudie, 22, died in the attack. A three-month-old boy and a 25-year-old man, who have not been named, were also among the victims.

Two others remain in a critical condition, Mr Andrews said on Monday.

"All of us feel it. How could this have happened? How could such a tragedy have come to our city? How could so many lives end and so many lives change forever?" he said.

Wide-ranging review

The premier said the new after-hours court would consider bail applications for people charged with violent crimes.

He also said a broader review of the Bail Act would be undertaken by former Supreme Court of Victoria judge Paul Coghlan.

"We need to have a really close look at each and every element of our bail system, and we need to make profound change for the future to keep Victoria safe," Mr Andrews said.

The victims will be honoured with a candlelight vigil in central Melbourne on Monday night.

Melbourne car deaths: Bail laws changed in Victoria state - BBC News

[kingwilly]

The man accused of the attacks was bailed against the wishes of police five days earlier.

Oops. Somebody might be in hot water now.

[Hugh Cow]

^ Not likely KW. It will be buried in some new govt inquiry. Melbourne is my hometown and I think this guys ethnicity isn't important in this case. I know many Greeks in Melbourne who will be horrified about this and doubly so because he is of Greek origin. Obviously a total lunatic who needs to spend the rest of his life in a straight jacket. The stupidity of the justice system on bailing violent offenders is the problem. however he does look like Nick Kyrgios the tennis player and he's as mad as a cut snake.

[baldrick]

greek men are mommys boys like thai males

[kingwilly]

A 6th person died yesterday.

To be fair, i dont think this had anything to do with him being Greek