Authorities responded to an incident in Mornington, approximately 46 kilometers southeast of Melbourne’s central business district, shortly after 7:30 p.m. yesterday, following reports of a suspicious individual loitering near a residence.
Upon arrival, police officers exited their patrol van after driving up a driveway on Fleet Street.
According to the officers, a stolen black Land Cruiser utility vehicle emerged from around the corner and headed directly towards them.
Police reported that CCTV footage captured the Land Cruiser repeatedly ramming into the police vehicle, striking it approximately a dozen times over the span of two minutes.
The collision left both vehicles with extensive damage, with the police car being forcibly rotated 90 degrees from the impact.
“I just heard a series of loud bangs, probably about half a dozen, and it was incredibly loud,” recounted a neighbor.
The two male senior constables suffered minor injuries that required medical treatment.
The male driver of the Land Cruiser, who was shirtless and wearing only black shorts and black socks, got out and climbed onto the roof of the police car.
A neighbour filmed him leap off and run off in a northerly direction on Fleet Street.
“This individual’s behaviour was extremely dangerous, extremely reckless, [he] didn’t seem to care less about either the police members or the people in the vicinity,” Inspector Andrew McKee said.
Police patrolled the area with dogs for seven hours looking for the man, but he remains on the run.
