Matthew Herrere and Jordan Jenkins front court

A Melbourne thug out on bail drove off in a police car while his partner in crime was being arrested and slammed the vehicle into a Holden Rodeo, seriously injuring its driver.

The unmarked police car Matthew Herrere stole and crashed into another vehicle during a police pursuit.

A meth addict drove a stolen police car at speeds of 160km/h before slamming into a vehicle at an intersection, nearly killing its driver.

Matthew Herrere, 30, pleaded guilty in the County Court to a string of offences that began with an aggravated burglary of a house in Glengarry on January 27, 2023 that prompted the occupants to barricade themselves in a room and call police.

A co-offender Jordan Jenkins has also pleaded guilty to his role in the aggravated burglary using a machete and an axe.

Both men appeared for further plea on Tuesday and have been remanded for sentencing on May 28.

The court heard that drove to a house in Glengarry about 12.45pm on January 27, 2023 in a Kia Seltos that had been stolen from Chelsea Heights three days earlier.

Jenkins was armed with an axe and a machete when both men entered the house. A woman and a man living in the house barricaded themselves in a room.

The unmarked police car Matthew Herrere stole and crashed into another vehicle during a police pursuit.

Herrere and Jenkins attempted to convince them to open the door but they refused, saying they had contacted police. Both men then drove away and were cornered by police in a dead-end street in Yallourn.

Herrere and Jenkins drove directly at the police car and fearing they were about to be rammed, the officers jumped out of their car – leaving it running and unlocked.

Herrere, who was driving the car, attempted to drive around the police car but lost control and rolled the stolen vehicle into a ditch.

As police arrested Jenkins, Herrere jumped into the driver’s seat of the unmarked police car and drove off.

Herrere drove erratically through Yallourn North, where he almost collided with another police car, and was pursued into the township. He reached speeds of 160km/hr and collided with a Holden Rodeo at the intersection of the Princes Highway and Hazeldean Rd.

The Holden Rodeo became airborne before it and the stolen police car burst into flames. The driver of the Holden, a 63-year-old man, suffered serious injuries including broken ribs.

Herrere ran from the scene and tried to steal another car before he was arrested.

An oral fluid test later revealed Herrere, who was on bail at the time of the incident, had meth in his system.

The aftermath of a police chase involving Matthew Herrere who stole a police and drove off.

Herrere’s lawyer Oliver Smith asked Judge Duncan Allen to defer sentence so that a place in a residential rehabilitation program could be explored for Herrere.

Prosecutor Nikolas Barron objected to a deferment, saying Herrere’s placement in the program was speculative and that he was the lead offender with priors for armed robbery, dangerous driving and assault.

Judge Allen deferred sentence and ordered that Jenkins undergo a neuropsychological assessment and provide proof of future job prospects and his live-in arrangements after serving his sentence.