A man has been arrested after allegedly hitting a 27-year-old police officer with a stolen car in Melbourne’s east.
Acting Commander Matthew Baynes said police officers were responding to reports of a stolen car that was seen in the car park of the Burvale Hotel in Nunawading about 2.20am on Thursday when the incident occurred.
The car, a white Honda Civic hatch, was allegedly stolen from outside a property on Langley St in the Ringwood East area at around 1.50am.
A man has been arrested after allegedly hitting a 27-year-old police officer with a stolen car in Melbourne’s east.
Police cordoned off the car park before attempting to arrest two men.
The officer was allegedly struck while attempting to install a tire deflation device to stop the stolen vehicle.
A 32-year-old Preston man was arrested at the scene and charged with theft of a motor vehicle and theft of gasoline.
He was released on bail to appear at Ringwood Magistrates Court on November 6.
A 20-year-old Ringwood East man, believed to be the driver, was arrested in Ringwood at around 4pm on Thursday.
He is currently detained and the investigation is ongoing.
Supplied Editorial Man arrested after officer hits car in Nunawading. Image: Supplied / Victoria Police Media Unit
The 27-year-old police officer was taken to hospital with serious injuries to his upper body, where he remains.
Acting Commander Baynes said the two men, who were inside the hotel at the time, got out and one of them got into the stolen car before police could arrest him.
“A police officer was installing a tire deflation device at the Springvale Rd car park exit when a man returned to the stolen car,” Victoria Police said in a statement.
The man proceeded to drive “erratically through the parking lot and eventually exited onto Springvale Rd,” Baynes said.
“At that time, law enforcement members were attempting to deploy stop sticks and the vehicle drove erratically and in doing so, to try to avoid the stop sticks, collided and struck one of our members.”
The Honda was discovered abandoned a short time later on Tucker Rd in Vermont.
Baynes said the driver was traveling at “high speeds” and “very erratically” and that the police officer, a senior officer in the Eastern Region, suffered “significant injuries,” including “upper body injuries.”
‘After the member was hit, he was thrown into the air and then landed heavily. which led to his injuries,” Mr Baynes said.
‘It’s a really tragic circumstance.
“He’s fine, he is currently in the hospital with injuries that are not life-threatening, but are significant.” It will take you some time to recover just from doing your job.
The other man, a 32-year-old man from Preston, who was allegedly traveling in the stolen car when it arrived at the hotel, was arrested by police.
“He has been charged with vehicle theft and also another petrol theft,” Mr Baynes said.
Anyone who witnessed the incident, has dash cam, CCTV footage or information is asked to contact Crime Stoppers.