Two police officers sustained injuries today after their vehicle was deliberately rammed in Melbourne’s south-east.

The incident unfolded when the officers noticed two men fleeing from a residence on Ethereal Way in Sandhurst around 1 a.m., following a burglary. The suspects then entered a Ford Ranger ute.

The officers pursued the ute in their patrol car until it came to a stop in a driveway on Toporoa Court. They positioned their vehicle behind it.

As the officers exited their car and approached the Ranger, the vehicle suddenly reversed into the police car.

At this point, the passenger escaped on foot, while the driver accelerated away, causing one officer to fall onto the road and forcing the other to quickly dodge out of harm’s way.

Both the police car and the ute sustained significant damage in the incident.

Police say the Ranger was last seen heading towards Wodalla Circuit in Sandhurst.

Its registration plates were stolen from a Bentleigh East property between 8pm on Tuesday and 6.30am yesterday.

The offending males are described as Caucasian, in their late teens to early twenties, in dark clothing.

One of the police officers, a senior constable, was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening-injuries and the other, an acting sergeant, suffered minor injuries.

Police have launched an investigation.