Alex Briffa fronts court commercial ram raids and ramming police cars

Cornered by police in a shopping centre carpark, an unlicensed driver in a stolen vehicle rammed cop cars and injured an officer in a desperate bid to escape.

A police officer is lucky to have escaped serious injury after an unlicensed driver rammed him using a stolen vehicle in a desperate bid to escape following a burglary spree.

Alex Briffa, 31, a factory worker from Port Phillip, admitted to ramraiding commercial properties across Melbourne and stealing from them using stolen vehicles in January 2022.

The admissions were made in the County Court on Monday and Briffa was remanded in custody to appear for sentencing on May 16.

He pleaded guilty to 10 charges of theft, seven of burglary, three of recklessly exposing an emergency services worker to risk, two of possessing a drug of dependence and single charges of damaging an emergency services vehicle, conduct endangering persons and handling stolen goods.

His crime spree ended with his arrest at the Westfield Shopping Centre carpark in Airport West on January 20, 2022 when police vehicles arrived to block his exit.

Alex Briffa rammed three police cars at the Westfield Shopping Centre in Airport West while trying to escape in a stolen Honda Fit.

The drama began when police received a complaint of a stolen Honda Fit without the rear number plates in the shopping centre carpark.

Prosecutor Chris Brydon said a police car was positioned at the bottom of the carpark ramp and stop sticks were placed at various exit ramps.

Briffa stopped the stolen vehicle halfway down the ramp before driving at speed and ramming a police car while trying to escape.

He then reversed and struck Detective Acting Sergeant Craig Buchan, crushing his right leg between the Honda Fit and the ramp’s steel fence.

Briffa continued to reverse up the ramp, causing another officer to jump out of the way, before accelerating at speed and slamming into two police cars.

He was then arrested after the Honda became lodged between the police cars.

In his victim impact statement, Mr Buchan said he was now extremely cautious about walking or moving behind a reversing or a stationary vehicle. “This is the fact of my personal and work plight. I take pride in keeping fit. My lack of balance on my right side since the incident is frustrating and will continue to affect me in the foreseeable future,’’ he said

“I wake up occasionally during the night with pain in my right quad muscle. This affects my sleep. I was discharged from the hospital, luckily not to have broken any bones.”

Alex Briffa was arrested after the stolen car he attempted to escape in between wedged between two police vehicles he had rammed at the Westfield Shopping Centre in Airport West.

Mr Buchan said he was in extreme pain for a month following his discharge and was on crutches and only returned to light duties six weeks after the incident.

Briffa stole the Honda from Autozone caryard in Faulkner the previous day after ramming the gate open using another stolen Toyota Prado. About seven hours prior to his arrest, he used the Honda to ram raid R & R Smash Repairs in Faulkner. Before that, he ramraided a computer store in Altona North and stole items worth about $9000 as well as the Designer Eyes store in Glenroy.

Briffa also targeted a hair salon in Beaumaris where he stole $17,384 worth of products.

His lawyer Sai Ranjit said Briffa suffered from an intellectual disability and said a community corrections order would be an appropriate outcome.

The prosecution called for a term of imprisonment.

Briffa will return to court on May 16