A policeman has been taken to hospital after a wild ride grappling with
a driver through the sunroof of an allegedly stolen car that crashed on
its side in Melbourne’s inner suburbs this afternoon.
The
officer tried to intercept the driver of the suspect vehicle, a red
Mazda that was sitting in a lane off Nicholson Street in Abbotsford
about 5.30pm (AEDT), police said.
Richmond CIU Detective Senior
Constable Paul Guergues (Guergues) said the officer, one of three
uniformed police doing plainclothes duties for the unit, had to think
fast.
“As he approached the car the driver started to reverse to get out of the area,” Const Guergues told AAP.
“The car has taken out a scooter parked in Nicholson Street that was in the way.
“Then he drove forward and the police member had to jump on to the bonnet.
“He tried to grab the driver through the sunroof and he’s been taken for a ride inside the car.”
In a space of less than 50 metres, the driver drove forward and reversed several times in a bid to escape.
The
driver hit a parked car, pushing into another, as he drove haphazardly
forward and backwards in the street with the policeman grabbing vainly
for the hand brake, Const Guergues said.
“The driver was going awkwardly up and down the street and in the end he hit a tree and the car tipped on its side,” he said.
The officer, a senior constable, suffered cuts to his arm and was taken to nearby St Vincent’s Hospital for stitches.
A female senior constable’s clothing was torn as the driver tried to escape.
A
36-year-old Preston man has been arrested. He was later charged with
three counts of conduct endangering serious injury and two counts of
theft of motor car and was remanded in custody overnight to appear in
court tomorrow.
