Police investigate dramatic shooting incident on EastLink

A POLICE officer is believed to have opened fire on a car before being struck by the vehicle in dramatic scenes on Melbourne’s EastLink motorway.

Police investigate the scene outside the Melba Tunnel on EastLink. Picture: Lawrence Pinder

POLICE Association Victoria secretary Ron Iddles believes the highway patrol officer who was run over on Eastlink yesterday would have pulled his gun and opened fire to save his life.

Mr Iddles told 3AW the experienced officer was now recovering at home after being discharged from hospital late last night.

“He’s at home, reasonably comfortable, and has bruises and scratches all over his body,” Mr Iddles said.

The highway patrol officer, who has years of roadside policing experience, had seconds to make the decision to shoot.

“He pulled the firearm to save his life,” Mr Iddles said.

“You’re trained to save your life.

“We are highly trained and one of the things in training is you have to draw from the holster and fire three shots in three seconds.”

Mr Iddles said it was rare an officer would deploy their firearm on the job, but said there had been instances if police officers being run over by cars in the past six months.

The highway patrol officer pulled his gun and opened fire at a car being driven at him at an EastLink roadblock just ­before it hit him, a witness says.

The vehicle, with stolen numberplates, is now the subject of a major police hunt after it sped off, leaving the senior constable injured on the road.

The drama unfolded when the Ford Falcon XR6 refused to stop at the citybound roadblock, just past the Melba Tunnel, at Donvale about 1.20pm yesterday.

Police said the car failed to stop at an automatic numberplate recognition site set up by police and the Sheriff’s Office, targeting unpaid fines and outstanding warrants.

“The driver of that vehicle accelerated hard towards the police member and ran him down,” said Acting Superintendent David Griffin.

Witnesses said the police officer’s gun went off just before he bounced up the bonnet and into the windscreen, finally falling on to the road.

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The car then sped off towards the city, but police members did not pursue it.

The officer was taken to hospital suffering injuries to his right knee and lacerations to his arms.

“He was bleeding quite heavily when I attended at that scene before the ambulance arrived,” Supt Griffin said.

Police confirmed a sighting of the dark-coloured Falcon XR6 turbo sedan, at the intersection of Burke Rd and High St in Kew East, about 20 minutes later.

The vehicle had Victorian numberplates 1EJ 6PE.

Supt Griffin added: “We ­attempted to intercept that vehicle but that vehicle was in no uncertain terms in a hurry to get away from our location and no pursuit entailed as a result.”

Police believe the driver is aged between 18 and early 20s.

Driver Chris Richardson described what he saw when he pulled into the roadblock behind the Falcon.

“One of the policemen came from the centre median strip and walked towards the driver’s side of the car,” he said.

“He pointed at the guy. As he pointed, the driver turned the steering wheel and took the copper out and hit him. He went over the safety median wires. At the same time the policeman drew his gun and fired into the car.”

Mr Richardson said he had never seen anything like it.

Police later found the shell casing at the scene.

In giving details of the fugitive vehicle, they said it was likely to have damage to a passenger-side door handle and its windscreen.

Supt Griffin said the injured highway patrolman had many years of experience in road policing. He would not comment on whether discharging the firearm was the best response under the circumstances.

CCTV footage and still photos from the scene were being analysed last night.

Victoria Police professional standards command is investigating the incident.

Contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

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