A Victoria Police officer is seriously hurt after the driver of a stolen car deliberately drove into him at a checkpoint.
The highly-experienced officer had stopped the car near a tunnel on the Eastlink freeway about 1.20PM and was walking towards the Ford XR6 when it accelerated and ran him down, police said on Wednesday afternoon.
‘The police member has been impacted by the front of the vehicle and as bounced up on to the bonnet into the windscreen before falling on to the roadway,’ a spokesman said.
The officer managed to draw his gun and fire one shot just before he was hit, but police have yet to determine if the shot hit the car.
‘We don’t know where the round ended up,’ the spokesman said. ‘But it is possible that that vehicle we are looking for has been impacted by a round that was discharged and it’s also likely that that vehicle has damage to one the passenger side door handles that appears to have been dislodged following the incident.’
The injured officer was taken to hospital where he is undergoing treatment for serious knee and hand injuries.
Police are now hunting for the dark XR6 Falcon with 1EJ6PE plates after it sped away following the collision.
‘Bearing in mind it’s a 100km/h zone and a number of exits available to that person.
They could have taken advantage of that,’ the spokesman said.He defended a police decision not to pursue the car, saying the situation unfolded rapidly and the stolen car had left the area at high speed.
The incident is now being investigated by the Professional Standards Command, and police are urging anyone who spots the stolen car to contact Triple-zero or Crimestoppers.
source:skynews.com.au
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