A man is dead and another is in a critical condition after a car went onto the footpath and hit a group of people outside the Supanova Comic Con and Gaming event at Melbourne Showgrounds on Saturday evening.
Emergency services were called to Langs Rd in Ascot Vale just after 5pm.
Police said a blue Toyota Echo, thought to be a hire car, left the road and drove onto the footpath. It hit a group of young men who were walking home from the event.
One man died at the scene. A second was taken to hospital with life threatening injuries. A third was also taken to hospital for shock but was not physically hurt. All three were men in their 20s.
An off-duty police officer pulled a 33 year old Werribee man from the car and arrested him at the scene. The man is now under police guard in hospital.
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Det Insp McEvoy said the car kept going for about 120 metres along the footpath after hitting the group. It stopped near an entrance to the showgrounds.
He said the car’s path was unusual because the footpath was not in the same direction the car had been going.
The crash happened while thousands of fans were at one of Melbourne’s biggest pop culture events.
The 3 day expo features international guests including Stranger Things actor Jamie Campbell Bower and Andy Serkis who is known for playing Gollum in the Lord of the Rings trilogy.
Victoria Police are asking anyone who saw what happened or has CCTV or dashcam footage to contact Crime Stoppers. The Major Collision Investigation Unit is looking into the crash.
