Last Updated Dec 21, 2017 3:21 AM EST
SYDNEY — Australian authorities say a vehicle drove into pedestrians on a sidewalk in central Melbourne on Thursday, injuring at least 14 people. Police have arrested the driver and a second man and said they believe it was a deliberate act, though they have not yet suggested any possible motive.
Victorian state police said the white SUV crashed into a cable car stop on Flinders Street in the city’s central business district just after 4:30 p.m., when the area was busy with Christmas shoppers.
Authorities say at least 13 people were taken to hospitals with injuries, including a preschool aged child in serious condition with head injuries. Overall police said at least 14 were injured in the apparent attack, including several left in critical condition.
Police were asking witnesses to come forward to help in their investigation, but otherwise requested that people steer clear of the area.
Members of the public stand behind police tape after, Australian police said, a vehicle drove into pedestrians in central Melbourne, Australia on December 21, 2017
MELANIE BURTON / REUTERS
Sky News Australia reported the driver of the white Suzuki SUV was wrestled to the ground and handcuffed after his vehicle crashed into a bollard by a cable car stop.
Witnesses told Sky News the car ran a red light, sped up and then struck the pedestrians in an area with a 25-mile-per-hour speed limit.
“As it (the car) approached this intersection … it just mowed everybody down, people were flying everywhere,” one witness who identified herself only as Sue told radio station 3AW.
Police said in a statement they had “saturated the … area in the vicinity of Flinders, Elizabeth and Swanston streets to ensure community safety.”
This is a developing story and will be updated.
© 2017 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
