Australia: Shot fired when Victoria Police officer struck by car with stolen plates on EastLink freeway in Melbourne

A shot was fired by a police officer when a car with stolen number plates "ran him down" on Melbourne's EastLink Freeway, Victoria Police has said.

Key points:

  • Police operation was outside the outbound tunnel at Donvale at 1:20pm
  • Police say car with stolen licence plates ordered to stop
  • Car stopped, then accelerated at officer, police say
  • Wanted car, rego 1EJ 6PE, fled scene

Police said the incident occurred while officers were assisting an operation being run by the Sheriff's Office near the outbound Mullum Mullum tunnel.

Officers were looking for a car with stolen number plates after it failed to stop for police at Donvale earlier in the day.

"An [Automatic Number Plate Recognition] site was set up outside the Mullum Mullum tunnel, city bound on EastLink, about 1:20pm when a vehicle was detected with stolen plates," police said in a statement.

Acting Superintendent David Griffin said the officer stopped the sedan and when the officer approached it, the car, accelerated "hard" towards the police officer and "ran him down."

"There is no doubt that in our minds the person was deliberately trying to evade police by running down the police member and in an effort to get away and avoid detection," he said.

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