One Dead and Two Injured After A Violent Knife Attack in Melbourne's CBD

One person has been stabbed to death and several others injured after a man crashed a car into Melbourne's Bourke Street Mall this afternoon.

Authorities were called to the corner of Bourke and Swanson Street at about 4:20pm as the vehicle went up in flames and the driver started fighting and stabbing multiple bystanders. Police arrested the man after shooting him in the chest. He is now in a critical condition and under guard in hospital, The Guardian reported.

It's been confirmed that one person has died at the scene, while two others are currently in hospital. Bourke Street has been closed for an indefinite amount of time, and people are being told to avoid the CBD if possible. It's not yet known whether the attack was terrorism-related.

“The investigation is ongoing,” Superintendent David Clayton told the media this afternoon. “There are no known links to terrorism at this stage. We are keeping an open mind”. He added that it was “very early in the stage of the investigation.”

Clayton confirmed that police were “confronted by a man brandishing a knife and threatening them".

“At the same time, passers-by were calling out that members of the public had been stabbed,” he said. “Police shot the male in the chest and he is now in a critical condition under guard in hospital. Three people have been stabbed, unfortunately one is deceased at the scene, two other victims are currently in hospital.”

The condition of the two other victims is as yet unknown.