Two arrested after alleged police car theft and Yarragon crash

A man is alleged to have stolen and driven away in a police car as another man was being arrested in Gippsland.

The Princes Highway was closed between Darnum and Yarragon because of a serious collision in Yarragon on Friday afternoon.

Two men have been charged following the theft of a police car and a pursuit through Gippsland which ended in a serious collision that closed the Princes Highway.

The pair, aged 20 and 28, were charged with aggravated burglary, possess controlled/prohibited weapon, criminal damage and theft of motor vehicle.

The 28-year old Cranbourne man was also hit with other charges including theft of a police vehicle, conduct endangering serious injury, driving manner dangerous, attempted carjacking and commit indictable offence while on bail.

The pair will face Latrobe Valley Magistrates’ Court on Monday.

Officers responded to reports of an aggravated burglary in Glengarry about 1.20pm on Friday, where police believe two armed men broke into a home on Main St.

The pair was said to have fled in a stolen car, which lost control and ran into a ditch in Yallourn.

There, during the arrest of a 20-year-old Peninsula man, a Cranbourne man aged 29 allegedly stole an unmarked police car.

He then collided with another vehicle at the intersection of the Princes Highway and Hazeldean Rd in Yarragon, closing the highway between that town and Darnum.

Emergency services attended the scene when the cars caught fire about 1.40pm.

Oil spilt onto the road and the incident was deemed under control in under half an hour.

Paramedics took one patient to Warragul Hospital and another to Latrobe Regional Hospital, both in stable conditions with minor injuries.

Both alleged offenders were taken into custody.

The police’s Professional Standards Command will conduct an investigation.