Police arrest man for Eastern Freeway hit and run

Police have arrested a man who fled after crashing into a police car in an accident which left the officers feeling lucky to be alive.

A man has been arrested over a hit and run crash involving a police car in Melbourne on Thursday morning.

Police had been called to the Eastern Freeway in the inner-city suburb of Clifton Hill shortly before 5am after a car had crashed into a concrete barrier, before the driver fled the scene on foot.

When they were at the scene, a silver Mercedes sedan drove through the crash site and struck a police car, with the driver failing to stop and fleeing the scene.

Eight officers in total were at the accident scene. On Thursday, Acting Superintendent Troy Papworth said they were “lucky to be alive”.

Police have arrested a Coburg man over a hit and run on the Eastern Freeway involving a police car on Thursday morning. Picture: NCA NewsWire / David Crosling

“It highlights the dangers for us as police in attending a reasonably routine traffic collision and how that can turn so bad so quickly,” Acting Superintendent Papworth said.

The incident, which caused substantial traffic delays on Thursday morning, carried a resemblance the Eastern Freeway crash of April 2020, when a truck driven by Mohinder Singh veered into a lane where four stationary officers were standing.

The four officers, who had pulled over a speeding Porsche, died at the scene.

On Friday morning, Yarra Crime Investigation Unit Detectives arrested a 37-year-old Coburg man at a hotel in Kew.

The silver Mercedes in question was also found at the motel.

A 31-year-old Airport West woman was also arrested at the motel for unrelated matters.

They said both were assisting police with their inquiries.

Originally published as Police arrest man for Eastern Freeway hit and run