Police have arrested a man in Melbourne after he allegedly threatened to kill passengers aboard a tram in the city’s CBD. The horrifying incident was filmed by one of the dozen other passengers sitting at the opposite end of the tram.
The 57-year-old man was riding the 48 tram on the corner of King and Collins St early Saturday morning according to The Age.
Victoria Police allege the man had stolen items from a nearby 7-Eleven and had boarded the tram to escape.
The driver of the tram was instructed by authorities to keep the doors closed while they waited at the next stop to arrest the man.
The man can be heard on the video repeatedly asking the driver to “open the doors” with increasing volume.
It’s alleged he said “open the door or I’ll kill one of these girls … “shoot me now, shoot me or I’ll kill her”.
Officers from the Critical Incident Response Team eventually made their way onto the tram and subdued the man with a taser.
He has now been charged with armed robbery, false imprisonment, assault and threats to kill per the ABC.
One of the women on board, Tamara Janjic, told The Age “It was really scary. I was trying to make as little movement as possible so he didn’t see us.”
Yarra Trams, the operator of Melbourne’s tram network released a statement following the incident.
“The safety of our employees and passengers is always our highest priority,” it said.
“We commend the actions of our driver for their management of this stressful situation, as well as thank Victoria Police for their quick response to detain the individual and deescalate the situation.
“We are grateful that no serious injuries were sustained by our driver or passengers.”
In response to the incident, the Transport Union has called for more police presence on board trams and around tram stops.