A busker who was doing “breathing exercises” and carrying a duffel bag led to a gun scare in Melbourne that closed down the entire CBD’s rail network and left tens of thousands of commuters stranded.
Rail passengers are still delayed after the hugely busy city loop was put into lockdown when armed police stormed one of the network’s busiest stations.
Flagstaff station, in the heart of the financial district, was closed around 8.30am with footage emerging of armed police on platforms.
Passengers on Twitter said there were rumours of a “man with a gun” with several saying train drivers had said there was a person with a firearm on the station.
Paddy Naughtin told AAP he was on the 8.19am train to Mernda when it was stopped.
“A dozen cops (half heavily armed) came running past.”
Construction worker Shannon Marrell said he was rushed out of the station as heavily-armed police stormed onto the platform.
“I heard on the train that they had to duck, like they wanted everyone down,” he told reporters.
However Police have now said a bag containing an instrument being carried by a busker was mistaken for a deadly weapon by on-edge commuters.
Frightened Melburnians were forced to flee Flagstaff as police descended on the platforms. But it was soon discovered to be a false alarm. The man wasn’t even at Flagstaff having exited beforehand at another station.
“He was a local busker who was there to play an instrument in town,” Inspector Jacob Bugeja told reporters in Melbourne on Thursday.
“There was a bag that the person was carrying and he had his tools to busk with him.”
The man was doing breathing exercises on the train when he aroused suspicion, but police spoke to him about 20 minutes later in the city to confirm he did not have a weapon.
The man’s bag was later described as a sports duffel bag that looks “nothing like” a gun bag.
Victoria Police commissioner Graham Ashton told 3AW’s Neil Mitchell they acted quickly and searched the area.
“We had a concern that it might be someone with a firearm on a train,” Mr Ashton said. “They were after that (search) content that there was no fire arm on the train.
“A rifle case was sighted originally as part of the report.”
Mr Ashton said he would be following up with Metro Trains, the city’s rail operator, after reports a driver told passengers that there was a man with a gun.
“We have to be really careful about the sort of communications that are put out … you don’t want people to be … reacting in a way that might put their safety at risk. We’ll follow it up with Metro,” he told Mitchell.
The station and rail network has since reopened but it left complete chaos at stations across Melbourne’s rail network for several hours with platforms flooded with stranded commuters.
Police have since said they had reviewed CCTV footage and “no offence was detected”.
Premier Daniel Andrews thanked Victoria Police for their swift action. “Thankfully it was a false alarm,” he tweeted.
Metro Trains said city loop services have resumed after receiving the all clear from police.
Nevertheless, the shutdown led to major delays on all rail lines of up to 30 minutes. Major hubs such as Flinders St and Southern Cross remain busy. As of 11am services are slowly returning to normal.
In a statement, Victoria Police said the station was evacuated at about 8.30am.
“Police responded to reports a man was allegedly carrying a firearm bag on a train at Flagstaff this morning.
“The area was searched and has now been cleared by police.
“Police will continue to investigate the incident, however at this time there is no ongoing threat to the community.
“Police will remain in the area today to speak with any members of the public who may have concerns.”
- with AAP.
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