Zain Khan, 26, charged with murder after Melbourne CBD alleged car rampage
A 26-year-old man has been charged with murder and a host of other charges after an alleged rampage through Bourke Street.
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A 26-year-old man has been charged with murder and attempted murder following the death of a man in Melbourne’s CBD on Friday night when a driver ploughed into pedestrians on Bourke Street.
The man, which the Herald Sunhas named the man as Zain Khan, is from Melton West, around 45km west of Melbourne.
Officers were called to Melbourne’s bustling Bourke St at the intersection with Russell St at about 6pm on Friday after a white Toyota Aurion sedan hit three pedestrians before T-boning a Hyundai and a Mazda CX-5.
Eerie footage shows Khan, dressed in all-white, sitting on the roof of the Toyota for several minutes before police officers pulled him down and arrested him.
Police said the man was possibly travelling at 60 to 70 km/hr before the deadly collision and may have accelerated after hitting the pedestrians.
The driver of the Hyundai, a 76-year-old man from Brunswick in Melbourne’s inner north, died at the scene.
Three pedestrians and the driver and passenger of the CX-5, all in their twenties and thirties, were taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
In a statement, Victoria Police said the Melton West man had been charged with one count of murder, three counts of attempted murder, three counts of intentionally cause serious injury and two counts of conduct endangering life.
He appeared at an after-hours court hearing where he was remanded in custody to reappear at Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on 15 January 2024.
Police do not believe the incident was terror related.
It’s understood Mr Khan is under police guard at the Royal Melbourne Hospital and could not be interviewed for almost 24 hours after the crash.
It’s alleged the car was his mother’s and that Mr Khan drove down the tram only section of Bourke St.
After the alleged rampage, he then appeared on the roof of the car and began ranting. Police had to pull him down.
Talking to 7 News, Mr Khan’s mother said her son was s“ deeply troubled”.
“He is very sad … he is sick. He has a mental history, mental illness problem from 2017.
“As a mum, it’s not easy. It’s hard.
“I heard he had hurt people, I was shocked at that part.”
On Saturday morning, Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews paid tribute to the elderly man killed in the crash.
“On behalf of all Victorians, we send our deepest sympathies to the family and friends of the 76-year-old man who died,” he said.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with them.”
The crash comes five years after a car was deliberately driven into a group of pedestrians on the same street in a harrowing attack that killed six people.
“Obviously this will bring up memories and trauma for all those involved in 2017 in Bourke Street and our hearts go out to them,” commissioner Patton said.
Premier Andrews stressed that $50m has been invested into protecting Melbourne’s CBD after the deadly vehicular attack in 2017.
He told reporters on Saturday that he doesn’t believe anything else could have been done to stop this terrible incident.
Originally published as Zain Khan, 26, charged with murder after Melbourne CBD alleged car rampage
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