The arrested driver is Awer Dau, a 33-year-old learner driver from Yarraville, according to multiple reports. Dau was charged with dangerous driving causing death and culpable driving causing death. He briefly appeared in the Melbourne Magistrates' Court via videolink from Melbourne West Police station on Sunday evening, did not apply for bail, and will remain behind bars until his return to court on September 15.
Details of the incident reveal the car was a grey Toyota Echo that mounted a kerb and hit pedestrians. According to Detective Inspector Craig McEvoy, the car travelled across the southbound lanes, up on to the footpath where it impacted two young males in their 20s, who were walking in a group of three. The car travelled north, crossed lanes, mounted the footpath, drove between two trees, and travelled an extra 120 metres before coming to rest. There is a contradiction regarding the number of pedestrians struck: while McEvoy's statement references two males, other reports indicate the car allegedly struck three men who were on their way home from the event.
I heard a screech and saw a guy allegedly mount the kerb at an erratic speed and hit a couple people.
Police are investigating what sparked the incident, including whether speed, alcohol, or drugs were involved. They have not determined if the incident was intentional. Detective Inspector McEvoy noted it was extremely odd as the vehicle had travelled a significant distance along the footpath, and stated it was unclear whether the incident was intentional, but police would be investigating all avenues, including whether drugs or alcohol were involved.
The driver was arrested by an off-duty police officer who was assisted by members of the public. According to McEvoy, the driver had been arrested by an off-duty officer who received assistance from the public. Victoria Police quickly arrived and arrested the driver, who remains under police guard in hospital.
The car did a U-turn before driving back down the street, then stalled.
Awer Dau's background includes a refugee journey from war-ravaged South Sudan. He was born in the early 1990s, fled the civil war with his mother and siblings at age three, spent six years in a Kenyan refugee camp, and moved to Australia at age ten with his family after being granted refugee status, according to multiple reports. He attended local schools, completed most of Year 12, finished a VCAL program in automotive engineering to become a mechanic, showed exceptional sporting ability with potential for a professional soccer career, but abandoned soccer due to family pressures and worked in manual labour jobs.
Dau was known as self-motivated, productive, and responsible, helping support his family, enjoyed strong family support, and was dealing with mental health issues, according to reports. His older brother died in 2017, and Dau was shot in the leg in 2018, hospitalised for about 11 days.
You're not going anywhere, mate.
At the time of the alleged incident, Dau was already on bail, according to multiple reports. He is well known to police and faces bail concerns, according to research sources.
In court, Dau's brief appearance involved procedural details where he was remanded in custody. The exact cause of the car mounting the kerb and striking pedestrians remains unknown, as does whether the incident was intentional or accidental.
My wife, a paramedic, worked on a victim for 20 minutes before ambulances arrived.
Both victims are in their 20s, with one male dying at the scene and a second male taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries. A third person was not struck but was taken to hospital for shock, according to research sources. The current medical condition and prognosis of the injured victim in hospital has not been disclosed.
The car is believed to be a hire car, according to research sources. Pictures of the scene showed a police cordon around the vehicle which appeared to have visible damage, according to multiple reports.
The victim couldn't move but was breathing.
Supanova Comic Con & Gaming organisers released a statement saying they were deeply saddened and distressed but will continue the convention, with a minute's silence held at 10am on Sunday to honor victims. Supanova is a convention about science fiction and fantasy TV shows, comic books, gaming, and collectables, held annually in several Australian cities.
Victoria Police are calling for witnesses, CCTV/dashcam vision, or information, according to research sources. The specific reasons why Awer Dau was already on bail at the time of the incident have not been made public.
Tom said the car U-turned back down the street towards him before it stalled, and he claimed to have stopped the driver from fleeing.
According to Daily Mail - News, witness Tom described hearing a screech and seeing a guy allegedly mount the kerb at an erratic speed and hit a couple people. He also described the car doing a U-turn before driving back down the street, then stalling, and claimed to have stopped the driver from fleeing, paraphrasing his words as telling the driver he was not going anywhere. According to BBC News - World, Tom described the car U-turning back down the street towards him before it stalled, and he claimed to have stopped the driver from fleeing. Tom's wife, a paramedic, worked on a victim for 20 minutes before ambulances arrived, and the victim couldn't move but was breathing, according to Daily Mail - News.