Stolen ute rams police car before chase through Wonthaggi and across Bass Coast
The police car was badly damaged in the ramming and the police air wing was called in from Melbourne.
THE driver of a stolen ute allegedly rammed a police car at Pound Creek on Tuesday before two stolen cars tore off through Wonthaggi.
Officers had gone to a rural property on Pound Creek Road after a report of suspicious vehicles at the address.
They found a white Toyota Hilux and a black BMW SUV, both with men behind the wheel.
A check of the plates showed both cars had been stolen.
The Hilux driver then drove straight at the police car, badly damaging both vehicles.
Both cars left the property and were seen driving dangerously and erratically along the Bass Highway and through the middle of Wonthaggi.
They turned onto Loch-Wonthaggi Road, one behind the other.
Witnesses told the Sentinel-Times the chase ran for a sustained period along the Bass Highway near Cape Paterson and pushed further west, with the smell of burnt rubber in the air and smoke visible around Wonthaggi.
The police air wing was overhead during the chase and was later seen heading back towards Melbourne over Phillip Island.
Both stolen cars have since been found, one in the Bass area and the other at Jam Jerrup, and no arrests have been made.
Detectives from the Bass Coast Criminal Investigation Unit are appealing for anyone with dashcam or CCTV footage, or anyone who knows who the drivers were, to contact Wonthaggi Police Station on 5671 4100.
