Essendon president Andrew Welsh performed an incredible citizens arrest on Friday night on the Gold Coast — just hours before the club’s clash with the Gold Coast Suns.

7NEWS understands Welsh was dining with Essendon CEO Tim Roberts and club sponsors in Broadbeach as a white Ford ranger ute ploughed through a nearby bus stop.

Welsh rushed to the scene to assess any damage and any potential injuries to onlookers on the busy Surf Parade strip.

It’s there he found a single car crash and a male attempting to break from the car and flee the scene.

Welsh then grabbed the driver and tackled him to the ground.

With assistance from another bystander, the pair pinned the male to the ground in front of stunned onlookers before police could arrive.

The incident happened on Surf Parade near Charles Avenue in Broadbeach at about 7.30pm.

The man was then handcuffed, placed in the back of a police van, and treated by paramedics.

“Then we saw people running over to the bus stop,” a witness told News Corp.

“There were two people who performed a citizen’s arrest and had their knees on his back.

“It was an extremely chaotic scene but the police arrived within minutes.

“How no one was in the path of the ute blows my mind.”

Welsh played 162 games for the Bombers between 2002 and 2011.

The respected property developer joined the Essendon board in 2022 and was annointed president of his club in September last year.