Chaos and panic at a Melbourne train station this morning was caused by a busker holding a didgeridoo bag that was mistaken for a rifle, it has been revealed.
Busker Will Austin took to social media on Thursday afternoon to post a selfie with his didgeridoo and explain how the incident unfolded.
‘When you get swarmed by police at Flagstaff Station after reports of a gunman, looking suspicious on a mission and carrying a Yidaki and a bag full of artefacts… I’m not carrying no rifle or ammunition fellas,’ he posted.
Chaos and panic at a Melbourne train station this morning was caused by a busker holding a didgeridoo bag that was mistaken for a rifle, it has been revealed
Mr Austin admitted that he may have looked suspicious running through the crowd carrying the bag.
‘People were running off the trains. Out of everyone that was running, I probably looked pretty suspicious,’ he told 9News.
‘Everyone’s on their toes at the moment, although it was a big ordeal for nothing in the end, it was good to see the police had such a quick response and everyone can go home safe.’ Mr Austin told 3AW.
Police stormed Flagstaff Train Station in the city’s centre about 8.30am after reports of a gunman, they instead found a well-known busker.
A passenger had called Triple-0 claiming a man was carrying a bag with a gun sticking out from it.
Passengers were immediately evacuated from the area as police searched the station and trains.
By mid-morning, police confirmed the man was a busker who had been carrying a sports duffel bag with an instrument in it.
Victoria Police (pictured) responded to an incident at Flagstaff train station in the city’s centre on Thursday
Commuters were told by a train driver someone had been spotted with a firearm on Thursday morning
Victoria Police Inspector Jacob Bugeja said a person had been seen carrying a sports duffel bag doing breathing exercises on the train.
‘He was a local busker who was there to play an instrument in town.
‘There was a bag a person was carrying to do his busking in. Nothing was left on the train. They exited the train at another station.’
He said after viewing security footage police were able to track the man in question to the CBD where police spoke to him.
The busker was found within 20 minutes, Inspector Bugeja said.
People were encouraged to report any strange activity to police, he said.
‘We can then make sure there is no risk ongoing.’
Hundreds of commuters were left stranded as the city loop service stopped running while police searched Flagstaff Station
Armed police were seen surrounding the train station on Thursday morning
Panic erupted among commuters, with some left in tears over fears of a gunman.
Sarsha Vacocz told ABC passengers dropped to the ground when police stormed a train.
‘Everybody started panicking. There was a woman next to me in hysterics, she was calling her whole family, telling them that she loved them, that she wasn’t sure what was going on. She thought it was a terrorist attack.
She said the police officer calmly told everyone to stand up, put their hands on their head and walk out of the train.
Victoria Police have confirmed they are responding to an incident at Flagstaff train station
Hundreds of passengers were stranded as all trains stopped running to Flagstaff as police searched area.
The City Loop service resumed running by 9.10am after police declared the area safe, according to Metro Train, however, passengers have been warned there will be delays up to 30 minutes.
In a statement, police said they would continue to investigate the incident, however at this time there was 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.’
People took to Twitter to share their astonishment that a busker carrying a trumpet had sparked mass fear and chaos Melbourne’s morning commute
Commuters have been left stranded as police search the area
Armed police were also seen at Flinders Station