Teenager arrested after stolen car strikes pedestrian near Melbourne Marathon route

MELBOURNE : A 16-year-old boy was arrested after a car allegedly stolen overnight struck a pedestrian in central Melbourne on Sunday, near the route of the Melbourne Marathon, police said, reported Xinhua.

According to a Victoria Police statement, the teenager was allegedly driving a Ford Escape east along the tram tracks on Flinders Street when he struck a woman at the intersection with Elizabeth Street at about 10.45 am local time.

The woman, who was from the nearby suburb of Southbank, was taken to Royal Melbourne Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, police and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation ( ABC ) reported.

The driver then made a U-turn outside Flinders Street Station before continuing along Flinders Lane, where he is believed to have struck several parked, unoccupied cars, police said.

The teenager, who was from the Greater Dandenong area, was later arrested without incident in Albert Park and was expected to be questioned by police.

The vehicle was allegedly stolen from a business outlet in Cranbourne South, in Melbourne’s south-east, at about 2 am on Sunday, police said.

Police confirmed that the incident was neither an act of terrorism nor a targeted attack.

The incident occurred close to the Melbourne Marathon course, which passed Flinders Street Station, with thousands of runners taking part in the event, according to the ABC . – BERNAMA-XINHUA