Man charged over dramatic high-speed police chase in Melton

A man has been charged over a dramatic police pursuit in Melbourne’s west on Sunday.

A man has been charged over a police pursuit in Melbourne’s west on Sunday.

The 24-year-old Box Hill man was released from hospital on Friday, after being arrested Bacchus Marsh over a number of alleged dangerous offences.

He has been charged with two counts of aggravated burglary, traffic offences, theft of motor vehicle, prohibited person possess firearm, dangerous driving while being pursued by police, reckless conduct endangering life, going equipped to steal and drug related offences.

The man appeared at Melbourne Magistrates’ Court late on Friday afternoon.

One of the damaged cars involved in the crash.

Another damaged car.

No application for bail was made.

He will return to court for a committal mention on July 29.

Earlier a frightened motorist described the moment an alleged gunman clipped his car, spinning it into oncoming traffic and marking the beginning of a three-hour crime spree in Melbourne’s west.

The crash unfolded at the intersection of Melton Highway and Ryans Lane about 9.30am on Sunday.

Alex Pjanic told 3AW the alleged offender jumped out of his car with two of his passengers in an attempt to flee the scene.

But when fellow motorists tried to stop them from running, the offender told everyone he was armed.

“That’s when he said he had a gun,” Mr Pjanic said.

“He put his hand into his bag and went to pull it out.

“We saw the handle of it … that’s when everyone sort of backed off and let him go.”

Mr Pjanic gave chase for more than 100m, but was unable to catch the man.

His 63-year-old mother remains at the Royal Melbourne Hospital with internal bleeding and broken ribs after the collision.

Victoria Police said the man was wanted over a series of terrifying firearm hold-ups.

Police were later alerted to an aggravated burglary on Oak Park Drive in Melton.

It’s alleged the offender held a female resident up at gunpoint, pushing her into a wall before taking off in her Kia Sportage about 11.30am.

The car was pursued by multiple police units to Bacchus Marsh.

It was rammed by a police vehicle on Bond St about 12.05pm.

The moment heavily armed police rammed the car and took its driver down.

How dramatic arrest unfolded

Dramatic vision captured the moment heavily armed police took a man down, following an alleged high-speed chase.

Aerial vision showed a silver car ripping through the suburb of Melton, veering onto the wrong side of the road and narrowly avoiding other motorists.

The chase came to an abrupt end after the car was rammed by a police vehicle.

A man threw himself out of the car and onto the ground where Special Operations Group officers pounced.

The vision showed multiple officers pounce on the suspect and punch him several times during the tense arrest.

Inspector Rhonda Brown said she was astounded nobody was killed during the terrifying crime spree.

The car zoomed through traffic.

The driver flung himself from the car and on the ground before being arrested.

The man at the centre of the alleged high-speed chase.

“These are really serious and ugly incidents,” she said.

“We’ve got a man out in the public driving at ridiculous speeds, he’s producing firearms – how someone wasn’t killed here, I will never know.”

The vision appears to show officers kick the suspect and punch him almost a dozen times.

Asked if that was a proportionate response to the threat posed, Insp Brown said she was “comfortable” with the police actions but a review of the arrest would be conducted.

“We are talking about a man who has produced firearms at two incidents in this long-running scenario (involving) innocent members of the public,” she said.

“We always review our incidents but I think the seriousness of the offending and dynamics of what occurred today is justified at this point.

This is the moment the vehicle became airborne during the chase.

At one stage, it drove across a median strip and on to the wrong side of the road.

The driver also drove straight through a roundabout.

“At this stage, I am comfortable with what has occurred.”

Victoria Police said in a statement on Sunday afternoon the man was not physically injured during the arrest but was taken to hospital for assessment.

“It is believed he may have been substance-affected,” the statement read.