Live: CBD horror, three dead, 20 injured as car knocks down pedestrians

• 5:25pm

Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Graham Ashton on the incident:

Three people were killed - a man in his 30s, a woman in her 30s and a young child. 

"For reasons of family notification I will not give the age (of the child)." 

All three were struck in different parts of Bourke Street and were not connected. 

Five people are in a critical condition, including a three-month-old baby who has been taken to hospital in a police car because there was no time to wait for an ambulance to arrive. 

The arrested man had an extensive history of family violence, drug and mental health problems. 

He had come to police attention because of some assaults in recent days. 

• 5:20pm

Victims Support Helpline

Witnesses and victims requiring support can call 1800 819 817. 

• 5:19pm

Premier Daniel Andrews addressing the media

"They have apprehended the person involved in this terrible criminal act."

• 5:11pm

Premier Daniel Andrews to speak on Bourke Street incident

Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Graham Ashton, Premier Daniel Andrews and Ambulance Victoria State Health Commander Paul Holman will shortly be providing an update on the incident. 

• 5:07pm

Do you have footage? Help police with the investigation

• 5:05pm

A walk down Bourke Street in the aftermath of the incident

YouTube user Gerard Hindle has recorded this surreal footage of the scene on Bourke Street in the aftermath of the incident. 

Warning: the footage is rather graphic. This video has since been removed from YouTube, and we have removed the most confronting section of the footage. 

• 5:00pm;
• Henrietta Cook

"The baby flew into the air"

Dozens of shaken witnesses have gathered at Melbourne West police station to provide statements. One woman, who did not want to be named, said she saw a mother who was pushing her baby in pram struck by the car on the Bourke Street footpath, near Williams Street.

"The baby flew into the air," she said. "The mother was lying on the ground covered in blood."

Police asked the woman and her colleague to get first aid materials and a defibrillator, and she returned to the scene with the equipment. 

She was told that the mother and her daughter were alive one hour after the incident. 

"It was just horrible."

We should point out that while we know a young child has been killed, police have not yet confirmed the child's age. 

• 4:54pm;
• Julia Medew

Three pedestrians with life-threatening injuries taken to The Alfred

A spokeswoman for the Alfred Hospital said three of five patients being treated there are in a critical but stable condition and two are in a serious condition. 

She said the Alfred hospital was prepared to take more patients, and that staff understood paramedics were still treating some people at the scene. 

Meanwhile, a spokesman for the Victorian health department said no state emergency plans were triggered by the disaster, and that emergency services had handled the situation as well as could be expected. 

At least 25 people have been hospitalised and paramedics are treating more injured people at the scene. 

• 4:43pm

Malcolm Turnbull: "Our prayers... are with the victims"

• 4:41pm

Robert Doyle: incident was a "wanton act of destruction"

Lord Mayor Robert Doyle has put out this video. A press conference he was giving on the steps of Melbourne Town Hall when the car sped through Swanston Street. 

"It is very difficult to believe these sort of things could happen right in front of you in the city".

• 4:40pm

Robert Doyle: incident was a "wanton act of destruction"

Lord Mayor Robert Doyle has put out this video. A press conference he was giving on the steps of Melbourne Town Hall when the car sped through Swanston Street. 

"It is very difficult to believe these sort of things could happen right in front of you in the city".

• 4:32pm

Victoria Police statement: "one of the deceased is a young child"

Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding an incident that took place in the Melbourne CBD this afternoon.

It is believed police were in pursuit of a vehicle in the CBD when the vehicle deliberately struck a number of pedestrians in the vicinity of Bourke and Queens Streets at approximately 1.30pm.

Police shot the man who was the sole occupant of the vehicle and he received bullet wounds.

He was taken into custody where he is being treated for non-life threatening injuries.

The incident is not terrorism related.

Police understand the incident is linked to a stabbing that took place in Windsor early this morning (20 January) involving parties known to one another.

Following this incident, it is alleged the same man took a woman, who is known to him, hostage in his car. She managed to escape from the car on the Bolte Bridge earlier today.

Three people have been confirmed deceased with more than 20 people injured.

The deceased are yet to be formally identified however police can confirm one of the deceased is a young child.

Police and emergency services remain on the scene and request that people avoid the area.

Police have blocked the Bourke Street between William Street and Swanston Streets including the Bourke Street Mall.

The Homicide Squad will be investigating with the assistance of the Major Collision Investigation Unit.

• 4:20pm

Arrested man was subject to bail orders

The man arrested over a wild car chase through the CBD that killed three and injured at least 20 more was wanted over a stabbing in Windsor on Thursday and is currently the subject of multiple bail orders.

Police sources say officers called off their pursuit of the man before his car entered the CBD around 1:30pm, fearing it was too dangerous to ram the vehicle.

At least three dead, 20 injured, police lock down city sections

• 4:15pm

There have been at least 25 people hospitalised. 

Ten have been taken to the Royal Melbourne, six to St Vincent's, five to The Alfred and four to the Royal Children's Hospital.

The RCH will be holding a press conference at 4.45pm.  

• 4:11pm

At a 3pm press conference police said there had three deaths from the Bourke Street incident and 20 people had injured.

They are not treating the incident as terror-related and warned people to stay out of the CBD. 

There will be a second update at 5pm. 

• 4:05pm

Photo gallery: aftermath of the Bourke Street Mall incident

WARNING: this gallery contains some confronting images. 

• 4:03pm;
• Neelima Choahan

Updates from the hospitals

The Alfred has received five patients from the Bourke Street incident. 

A spokeswoman for The Alfred Hospital said the hospital would not be declaring Code Brown.

"We have capacity," she said. 

Six have been taken to St Vincent's and four have been taken to the Royal Children's. 

The Royal Children's Hospital will be holding a press conference at 4.45pm. 

• 3:55pm

Bourke Street mall incident: what we know so far

The key info: 

• three dead 
• 20 injured (including four taken to Royal Children's Hospital) 
• one arrested
• a car ran down multiple pedestrians along Bourke Street in the CBD. 
• police said the attack was not terror-related 
• the attack appears to be linked to a stabbing in Windsor in the early hours of this morning 
• another briefing is expected at 5pm

Article: what we know so far:

• 3:52pm

Age photographer Justin McManus has been at the scene of the incident in Bourke Street and has filed some photos of people attending the injured. 

• 3:48pm;
• Tom Cowie

Sharn Baylis form Adelaide said she gave CPR to a young Asian man in his 20s who appeared to have suffered severe head injuries.

She said onlookers tried to save the man but he died on the footpath outside Bardot on Bourke Street after being run over by the car before paramedics could help him.

"There were massive internal injuries, he was bleeding heavily but the head injury alone probably would have killed him," she said.

She ran over to help the man after watching the car drive down Bourke Street mall driving in a straight line as it slammed into pedestrians. 

"There was no hesitation when he got to the crowd, he just mowed them down," she said. "He was going around 60km/h but it seemed faster.

"People were literally just flying like skittles, bouncing off the bonnet and smashing into the shops"

The immediate emotional reaction to the incident was disbelief, she said:

"There were a few gaps and then you started hearing yelling and a few people scream."

Children were also screaming and appeared to have injuries, she said.