‘Deliberate act’: Car mows down pedestrians outside Melbourne’s Flinders St Station

WARNING: Graphic video

HORRIFYING CCTV footage has captured the moment a man drove an SUV into a crowd of people at a busy Melbourne intersection.

At least 19 people were injured when a white car driven by a 32-year-old with a history of drug use and mental illness mounted a tram track and accelerated into pedestrians outside bustling Flinders St Station.

Video captured by nearby security cameras shows the Suzuki Grand Vitara pull out from a street park and head towards a large crowd of people crossing the street.

The car appears to accelerate as it approaches the crossing pedestrians and continues to charge through the crowds striking innocent people in its path.

The crowd can be seen to disperse as bodies are flung onto the road after apparently being hit by the large vehicle.

Witnesses at the scene described seeing bodies flying “like dolls” after being hit.

Police are treating the shocking incident as a “deliberate act”.

They say the Australian citizen of Afghan descent, named as Saeed Noori by the Herald Sun, was driving alone when he crashed a white Suzuki Grand Vitara into pedestrians at high speed outside Flinders St Station on Thursday at 4.41pm.

He is under police guard in St Vincent’s Hospital as police continue their “fluid investigation”.

Speaking on Thursday, Victoria Police acting chief commissioner Shane Patton said the driver was known to police for “historical assault matters” but was not on bail. He is still to undergo psychiatric assessment and is yet to be formally interviewed.

MORE: Witnesses describe hearing ‘bang, bang, bang’

Mr Patton said the man had a “history of drug use as well as mental health issues”.

“We understand that he is on a mental health plan and receiving treatment for a mental illness,” he said. “We’re working to clarify that.”

The incident is not being treated as a terror investigation “at this time”, despite being supported by counter-terrorism teams. Mr Patton said police believed it was “quarantined to a singular incident” rather than part of a larger plot.

“It’s horrendous and life-changing for all emergency services who attend,” he said. “It’s life changing for victims and for those present. Their lives will be changed forever.”

All roads in Melbourne’s central business district were reopened about 2am Friday and trams are now operating as usual.

The crime scene on Flinders St has been cleared, but a heavy police presence remains this morning.

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