Two Victoria Police officers injured after alleged police car ramming incident in Melbourne
Two Victoria Police officers were injured after their police car was allegedly crashed by two men trying desperately to escape following a robbery.
Police said on Sunday that the officers, a senior constable and an acting sergeant, were on patrol in Sandhurst, in Melbourne’s south-east, when they observed two men running away from a house on Ethereal Way at about 1am.
The couple got into a white Ford Ranger and two police officers followed in their own vehicle to Toporoa Court.
The Ford then parked in the driveway and the police car parked behind them.
Officers got out of the vehicle and approached the driver, who allegedly crashed the Ford police car.
The passenger in the Ford then fled the scene on foot, police said.
“The driver of the Ford allegedly sped away, causing one police officer to fall onto the road and another officer to attempt to speed away,” police said.
Paramedics took the senior police officer to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
The acting sergeant was slightly injured.
“Investigators allege the same two men were involved in a serious burglary at a premises in Ethereal Way earlier in the night and Ford displayed number plates stolen from an address in Bentleigh East earlier in the week,” police said.
Detectives arrested a 20-year-old man Friday afternoon.
The Frankston North man was charged with 18 offenses including deliberately exposing a police officer to aggravated risk by driving, assaulting a police officer, recklessly causing injury, assault with a weapon, careless conduct endangering life, motor vehicle theft and aggravated burglary.
The man appeared before Melbourne Magistrates Court on Sunday and was remanded in custody to reappear on February 6.
Investigators are working to identify a second suspect, police added.
Frankston Criminal Investigations Unit Senior Constable Brooke Jeffrey said members of the public had provided relevant footage to police.
“We thank the Sandhurst residents and members of Ambulance Victoria who came to our officers’ aid on the night of the incident,” he said.
