A stolen car has reportedly collided with a woman and narrowly missed the course for the Melbourne Marathon in the city center before speeding off.

A young boy was “about [30 feet] away” from driving into the crowd at the event, one witness told 3AW presenter Jacqueline Felgate in a message she shared online.

“Cops got their guns out, told everyone to get down, and the kid did a U-turn and sped off — all the officers that were stationed here have all gone to chase the offender,” the witness said.

“Happened right outside Flinders St Station.”

Another witness described the stolen car as a “Hyundai with the bumper bar hanging off, speeding around the [central business district].”

“He was meters from breaking onto the marathon course outside of Flinders St Station. Police with their guns drawn. Terrifying.”

Project Zero Coffee owner Kirk Pearson told the Herald-Sun: “I was just dead set looking out towards the station, and then I saw a car just come screaming through and hit a woman.”

Pearson said the woman screamed out in pain while the vehicle took off and headed towards the Flinders St and Swanston St intersection, before taking a quick U-turn after seeing the road was blocked off for the Melbourne Marathon.

“Bystanders had to actually drag the injured person off the road so that they wouldn’t be hit again because this guy was not slowing down,” he said.

A commentator on Felgate’s post claimed they had “witnessed it from my shop.” “Bystanders had to drag an injured person from the road after they were hit [so] the offender couldn’t run them over a second time when they came back the other way,” they said.

Yet another witness said, “thank goodness there was a traffic control truck parked at the main Flinders St/Swanston St intersection so he wasn’t able to drive through the marathon runners.” “He did a U-turn back down Flinders St and hit a person at the Elizabeth St entrance of the station,” they said.

“It was insane, driving so fast and so erratically. Scariest thing I’ve ever witnessed.”

Another post with a video from the scene claimed the car had “struck a woman.”

An Ambulance Victoria spokesperson told the Herald-Sun paramedics had taken one patient to Royal Melbourne Hospital.

“Ambulance Victoria responded to reports of an incident in Melbourne at about 10:45 a.m. today (October 11),” the spokesperson said.

“Mobile Intensive Care Ambulance (MICA) and Advanced Life Support (ALS) paramedic crews attended the scene.”

News.com.au has contacted Victoria Police for comment.