A Melbourne man who set himself and his car on fire while yelling about vaccine mandates has been rushed to hospital with life-threatening injuries.
The man was seen coming out of a MG3 hatchback engulfed in flames at about 8pm on Saturday in front of horrified bystanders in the central suburb of Richmond.
One bystander who helped restrain the man on Church St told the Herald Sun the man's skin was burning until he was covered with water.
"His skin was burning. He was on fire. His skin is stuck to [my] shirt," they told the outlet.
"He was off his face screaming about the mandates."
Another bystander says the man's actions were no accident.
"He poured gas on himself and on his car. It was on purpose," they told the Herald Sun.
"He was screaming about mandates. He was screaming 'no vax ID'."
Emergency services were called to the scene and police officers pinned him to the ground before he was rushed to hospital in an ambulance.
Police cordoned off the area near the intersection of Church and Swan St and customers at surrounding businesses were told to stay indoors. Police say the man suffered life-threatening injuries.
The incident caused disruptions to public transport while an investigation was underway.
Victoria has imposed restrictions on venues unvaccinated people can enter. Businesses you can go to if you're fully vaccinated include restaurants and pubs, festivals, casinos, bars, and cinemas. If people don't meet the vaccine requirements, they're not allowed to enter.
There are similar mandate requirements for workers at these places.
