This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen
on .
It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
'Armed' teen arrested after driving erratically in Melbourne's CBD
Teenager charged with attempted murder after driving erratically in Melbourne
(1 day later)
A teenager said to have been armed and driving erratically near Melbourne’s Federation Square on AFL grand final day has been shot with a stun gun and arrested by police.
A 15-year-old boy has been charged with two counts of attempted murder after an incident in Melbourne’s CBD on AFL grand final day.
Police have ruled out any terrorism link, and say they do not believe he intended to harm anyone.
It’s alleged the boy, dressed in riot gear with a full-face helmet, drove erratically through the CBD before police shot him with a stun gun at 8am on Saturday.
The teen, who has mental health problems according to the police, was seen driving erratically in Melbourne’s CBD about 8am on Saturday.
He was taken to hospital before being charged on Sunday with attempted murder, six counts of reckless conduct endangering life, and assaulting an officer and resisting arrest.
A member of the public threw a hire bike under the green four-wheel drive to try to stop it.
He’s due to appear in a children’s court at a date to be set.
A critical incident response team confronted the teenager on the corner of Swanston and Flinders streets.
No one was injured in the incident outside Flinders Street station, several hours before the grand final.
He was wearing a black military uniform with a black rucksack. He was armed, but police were unable to confirm details on Saturday morning.
Video footage taken by passers-by and posted online showed a green four-wheel drive reversing at high speed down Swanston Street before spinning 180 degrees.
Acting superintendent Wayne Newman said the teen had been taken to hospital for a mental health assessment.
A member of the public threw a hire bike under the vehicle to try to stop it, while police rushed to the area.
He said there was only light pedestrian traffic around Federation Square at the time.
Acting Superintendent Wayne Newman said on Saturday investigators had no information the teenager was trying to harm anyone.
The teenager was not making threatening remarks, and posed little risk, Newman said.
“We’ve got no information that he was trying to harm anyone. His driving was certainly erratic, which is concerning to Victoria Police and the community, but there was no intention that I’m aware of that he was trying to hurt anyone,” he said.
Newman said the police were not investigating any terror links. The military uniform worn by the man was widely available at retail stores, he said.
“At this stage, CT [counter-terrorism] links are not something we are looking at in any depth. We certainly scan the horizon for any links of that nature, however, at the moment, we are treating this simply as a mental health issue.”
The bomb response unit searched the vehicle and the area was cordoned off.
Newman said that was a standard response because of the erratic nature of the teenager’s driving.
Asked about the actions of bystanders, he cautioned the public against intervening.
“I think what it shows is that the community has a heightened sense of vigilance in relation to that, and certainly Victorians won’t stand by idly and let these things occur,” he said.
