A four-year-old boy is one of three people who were killed when a 'mentally unbalanced' man ploughed his four-wheel drive into a crowd in the Austrian city of Graz, police say.
Witnesses said the green 4WD was travelling at over 100km an hour when it slammed into a crowd of people on one of the main shopping streets in the city.
The 26-year-old Austrian driver has been detained and described as a 'mentally unbalanced' man, according to governor Hermann Schuetzenhoefer.
A 24-year-old woman and a man, 28, were also killed while 34 others were injured, six remaining in a critical condition, officials said.
Regional police chief Josef Klamminger ruled out a terrorist motive.
'We can say clearly and without doubt that it is an isolated incident without political or extremist motivation,' he said.
During his rampage, the driver briefly got out of the vehicle wielding a knife and wounded two people before continuing on his course, the head of the investigation Kurt Kemeter said.
The suspect, a father of two, later gave himself up to police and showed no signs of being under the influence of alcohol or drugs, Kemeter added.
An initial investigation has revealed that the driver showed symptoms of 'psychosis' and was known for 'acts of violence', which led to him being barred from the family home at the end of last month.
Austrian President Heinz Fischer said he was 'deeply shocked' by the attack.
Shoppers described scenes of terror as the car ploughed into pedestrians, forcing people to scramble out of harm's way.
'People were screaming in panic and rushed into the stores to seek shelter,' said one woman at the scene.
The crashing of metal chairs on the terraces of cafes sounded like 'a shootout', she added.
Flowers and candles have been left in memory of the three who died near the scene, which has been closed off by police as the investigation continues.
Meanwhile the director of the Graz hospital, Gernot Brunner, praised the quality of care given to the injured even before the emergency services arrived.
'I thank the many people, including several doctors, who found themselves at the scene and quickly intervened,' he said.
- See more at: http://www.skynews.com.au/news/top-stories/2015/06/21/three-dead-after-4wd-hits-crowd-in-austria.html#sthash.SOyG9gBD.dpuf
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