The area outside of Melbourne’s Parliament was evacuated this afternoon after a dramatic police arrest of a man over fears he had a bomb in his car.
Police arrived at the scene on Spring Street in Melbourne’s CBD at about 3pm this afternoon where they smashed the car’s windows and pinned the driver to the ground at gunpoint.
The 25-year-old man from Sunshine allegedly parked on Spring Street where he refused to cooperate with police before the ordeal took place.
Witnesses claimed the man tried to set himself on fire inside the white sedan and feared he was carrying a bomb.
Police evacuated the area outside of Parliament and ordered passersby to flee the area as they feared the vehicle could explode at any minute, the Daily Mail reports.
Footage of the ordeal captured police smashing the windows of the car before holding the man at gunpoint while shouting ensued.
Violent arrest on #sprintst at 1510 this afternoon. Cops have closed Spring St in both directions #Melbourne pic.twitter.com/T4Y72IXtgg
— Nick Hurley (@nickchurley) September 12, 2019
“I saw the protective officers gathering at the front steps of parliament. Police cars were parked all around and I saw a white car drive in. It was intercepted by police and all of a sudden there was machine guns being pulled out,” eyewitness Ahmed Hassan told press.
Police also found a jerry can of petrol near the car, adding to the suspicion that the man was attempting some sort of arson or explosion.
The incident is being deemed a mental health episode and the man was taken to hospital in an ambulance.
Victoria Police have confirmed that there was “absolutely no danger to Parliament or members of the public and [the event was] not terrorist related.”
Police taped off the area and confirmed the vehicle was safe from explosives before the bomb squad arrived.
“I was in the chamber and Twitter really started to go off as the event unfolded,” Member for Kew Peter Smith said. “I’m delighted that no one else has been injured and the police did a remarkable job getting here so quickly.”
Hundreds of people were in the Parliament building when the ordeal unfolded, including a number of local politicians such as Mr Smith.
“The man was removed from his car after threatening self-harm. No one else was injured during the incident and there is no threat to the community,” police said.
If you or someone you know is contemplating suicide or suffering from mental health issues, please call Lifeline on 13 11 14, or the Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467. If you are in immediate danger, call 000.
