Officers had tried to pull over the green Mitsubishi Lancer on Swanston Street just before 5pm on Thursday.

The car's bonnet had been badly damaged and a passenger side door was hanging open.

But the car sped away along Swanston Street before turning down Bourke Street Mall, driving along the tram tacks and crashing into a bollard.

A male passenger got out of the car and ran away, as police drew their firearms in a bid to stop the driver.

But he did a U-turn back along Bourke Street and escaped.

Officers found the car on Ashworth Street in Albert Park just before 7pm without number plates.

Meanwhile, a helicopter was deployed to help track down the motorist.

There have been no reports of injuries from the incident, and police say they believe the driver was trying to escape arrest and did not intend to hurt people.

The male driver was last seen in the St Kilda area, and police are urging anyone who has seen the car to call triple zero.

In 2017, Melbourne's Bourke Street killer James Gargasoulas used a stolen car to mow down and kill six people in the busy CBD mall.

Australian Associated Press