Four police officers injured after incident with alleged stolen truck

Police have revealed a 45-year-old man who allegedly injured four police officers while trying to avoid arrest is part of a father-and-son crime duo who allegedly stole the vehicle used during the incident.

Four police officers have been injured – two of them seriously – after an allegedly stolen truck rammed three patrol cars north of Toowoomba.

The truck was alleged to have been stolen from the TyreRight yard in Oakey overnight, along with a Toyota HiLux, the thieves using the vehicles to ram the gates to escape.

Queensland Police tracked the Hino 300 series to Goombungee Meringandan Rd, where it was parked across from the Meringandan Produce shop.

Two officers from the Toowoomba Property Crime Unit pulled alongside it, exited their car and attempted to remove a 45-year-old man from the Hino about 1.30pm Wednesday.

Two of four Queensland Police Service officers sustained injuries after they, and this police car, were rammed by an allegedly stolen truck. Picture: Michael Nolan

The truck was allegedly pulled over when the officers got out of their car, but was then allegedly driven at the two men, seriously injuring one, before also allegedly being rammed into the police vehicle.

A 54-year-old male officer was flown to Princess Alexandra Hospital in Brisbane with multiple broken bones and internal bleeding. His condition was listed as serious but stable.

A 56-year-old male officer was taken to St Vincent’s Hospital in Toowoomba with suspected shoulder and pelvic injuries.

One of the officers, a 54-year-old man from the Toowoomba Property Crime Squad, was flown to the Princess Alexandra Hospital in Brisbane in a serious, but stable condition. Picture: Michael Nolan

The truck was then involved in a pursuit that continued along country roads into the Goombungee rubbish dump, where police said two more police cars were rammed and another two officers sustained minor injuries as a result of airbag deployments.

The driver of the truck – a 45-year-old man – was arrested at the Goombungee Waste Facility, on Centenary Rd, Goombungee.

Darling Downs Police District Superintendent Doug McDonald said the man allegedly behind the wheel of the truck was known to police, but at the time of the incident police were unaware of his identity.

“It really troubles me the level of violence and complete disregard for the community’s safety and also the safety of our officers,” he said.

“We’ve been relentless in our pursuit of stolen vehicles, it’s a problem all around the state.”

Police said the 45-year-old man was allegedly part of a father-and-son duo who broke into the TyreRight depot on John Street in Oakey about 4am Wednesday and stole the truck that was then later used to ram the police officers.

The father, his son and another 28-year-old Toowoomba man have been linked to the alleged break-in.

A witness at the scene told News Corp she saw a police officer lying on the ground holding his side and another with a “busted up” face.

“One (of the officers) was on the ground holding his side and the other police officer had a busted up face in an undercover car parked,” she said.

The earlier collision sparked a police pursuit that ended at the Goombungee rubbish dump. Picture: Michael Nolan

The witness said one of the officers had suffered a facial abrasion.

Traffic controller Paul Russell said he saw the offenders speeding along Peters Road and Thomas Street in the Hino truck, narrowly missing innocent bystanders.

“He came around the corner … and we had road workers in the middle of the road,” he said.

“He almost collected some council road workers (and) he had the driver’s side door open, flapping about.

“He missed me by two feet then went straight through the give way sign.”

Emergency services respond the scene where four police officers were injured at Meringandan, outside Toowoomba in southeast Queensland, on Wednesday. Picture: Michael Nolan

Queensland Police Union President Ian Leavers said the incident showed the “callous disregard” criminals have for life.

“We could have had multiple police killed or critically injured this afternoon,” he said.

“The police involved luckily had fast thinking colleagues providing them with immediate first aid and assistance until medical teams arrived.

“Their training and skills are part of the reason we do not have a tragic situation.

“The Queensland Police Union is providing assistance to the injured officers and their families.

“I hope the offenders involved are dealt with appropriately by the courts. We will be urging for the maximum penalties to be applied because it is in line with community expectation.”

Earlier, police arrested two offenders, aged 19 and 28, who they suspect were responsible for a ram raid on an Oakey business in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

Police have asked that anyone with information, including CCTV or dashcam footage, call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.