A stolen car screaming through Melbourne's city center plowed into a woman and nearly crashed into a crowd of marathon runners while police drew guns and bystanders dragged the victim off the road — the same unchecked lawlessness devastating American streets has gone global.

This is what the no-consequence justice system looks like, exported across the West. Criminals act with impunity. Citizens bleed. And the people who run these cities stay insulated from the carnage they enable.

According to the New York Post, a stolen Hyundai with its bumper hanging off tore through Melbourne's central business district on October 11, near Flinders Street Station where the Melbourne Marathon was underway. A witness told 3AW presenter Jacqueline Felgate that a "young boy" was driving and came within roughly 30 feet of plowing into the crowd. "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.

Project Zero Coffee owner Kirk Pearson told the Herald-Sun he watched the car "come screaming through and hit a woman," who screamed in pain. Bystanders had to physically drag the injured woman off the road to prevent the driver from running her over a second time when he circled back. A traffic control truck blocking the marathon course was the only thing that stopped the stolen car from barreling into runners.

Ambulance Victoria confirmed one patient was transported to Royal Melbourne Hospital. Victoria Police had not responded to requests for comment as of press time. The driver remained at large.

The same day, half a world away in Gainesville, Georgia, another ordinary family paid an unbearable price — but this time, the driver stayed. According to Live 5 News, a 68-year-old woman accidentally accelerated over a curb while parking at Limestone Marketplace, striking firefighter Samuel Skelton and his 22-month-old son Knox. The toddler was flown to an Atlanta hospital, where he died. Samuel and his wife Kiana made it there to say goodbye.

Police Capt. Kevin Holbrook called it "just a tragic accident, altogether," noting the elderly driver "did not intentionally do this." She stayed on scene, cooperated with officers, and may face charges after the investigation. The Gainesville Fire Department has raised more than $65,000 for the family.

Two incidents. Two families shattered. One driver flees in a stolen car. One driver stays and faces the music. The difference is accountability — and in Melbourne, as in so many Western cities now, there is none to be found. A "young boy" behind the wheel of a stolen car, speeding erratically through a crowd, hitting a pedestrian, and speeding off — and the system that produced him has no answer except to ask citizens to duck.

The Melbourne driver was still at large as of press time. When the system refuses to hold criminals accountable, criminals learn there's no reason to stop.