THE man held over the West Gate Bridge plunge asked security guards to take his children before being arrested.
A four-year-old girl was pulled from the water by police close to the pumping station at Spotswood about 9.30am today after apparently being thrown from the bridge.
Despite reports that she had died, the Royal Children's Hospital insists she remains alive but is in a critical condition.
A 35-year-old Hawthorn man was arrested after security staff at the Commonwealth Law Courts on the corner of Williams and La Trobe Streets noticed him standing in the foyer with two children.
He is believed to be the father of the girl allegedly thrown from the bridge and was involved in a Family Court matter in the Federal Magistrates Court yesterday.
The man was an applicant in a Family Law matter where custody of three children was the issue and the mother was the respondent.
There was a hearing of the case yesterday and sources said that the matter was ongoing and no decision had been made.
Security staff noticed that the man was shaking and staring with wild eyes. One described the man as catatonic.
He was clearly distressed and crying, witnesses said. He was in the foyer for 30 minutes while staff offered him drinks in an effort to calm him down.
One onlooker said the man "looked like he had had enough".
Police were called and several officers arrested the man, who offered no resistance.
Just before he was taken away, he asked security guards to look after his children.
At the time of his arrest, police had no indication that the man was connected to the West Gate Bridge incident.
The two children were taken into protective custody. Witnesses say one of the children was in nappies.
A white 2004 Toyota Land Cruiser vehicle was also parked near the court and was later removed by detectives.
A child booster seat was in the back seat, along with children's toys and clothing. The vehicle had Victorian plates and had a parking ticket on the windscreen.
The injured girl is being treated in the emergency department of the Royal Children's Hospital.
Witnesses told police they saw a man stop on an inbound lane near the top of the West Gate. It is believed the girl was then thrown over the edge.
Police said the vehicle was a white 2004 Toyota Land Cruiser and the incident happened around 9.10am. They have appealed to the public to provide any information they may have.
Paramedic team manager Trevor Weston said paramedics worked on the girl for almost an hour.
"Paramedics worked for about 50 minutes at the scene and the child was then conveyed to the Royal Children's Hospital," Mr Weston said.
"Anything that involves children takes its toll on paramedics. Fortunately it's not a very frequent occurrence."
The girl was airlifted to the Royal Children's Hospital in a critical condition with massive internal injuries.
"Everyone at the scene did a fantastic job and we're very focused on doing everything they could for the child," Mr Weston said.
Homicide squad Det-Insp Steve Clark said the incident was very distressing.
"It's particularly distressing for family members but also for witnesses who saw it," he said.
"A number of those are upset and I have got a number of police here who have young children themselves who have had to deal with this and they are obviously upset," he said.
He said water police were on the scene within 10 minutes to drag the four-year-old girl from the water.
He said it appeared no one on the bridge had time to stop the man.
Det-Insp Clark said the man's two other children may have been in the car with him before he allegedly dropped the girl off the bridge.
He said police believed the family had been dealing with some family court matters.
He said the girl's mother had been informed and was with police.
"She's currently assisting police the best she can in terrible, terrible circumstances," he said.
Det-Insp Clark appealed for anyone who may have seen the incident to contact police.
He said a number of witnesses had already come forward and they were being interviewed by police.
"Clearly there was a lot of traffic on the bridge and I am urging anyone who may have seen what happened to contact Crime Stoppers."
Ambulance Victoria was called just after 9.30am to a report of a child in the water underneath the West Gate Bridge, spokesman Paul Bentley said.
"The child suffered fairly extensive injuries and the paramedics spent some time trying to resuscitate the child," Mr Bentley said.
"I understand the police boat was used to get the child from the water to the Yarraville side."
The homicide squad is investigating the incident and have appealed for information from the public.
http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,24978760-5003402,00.html