Police deny patrol car involved in serious crash was in pursuit despite witness observations
Victoria Police have denied the patrol vehicle which crashed at an intersection outside of Melbourne and collided with another vehicle was “in pursuit” at the time.
Two policemen and a civilian were injured in Dandenong South just after 11am on Wednesday.
The crash occurred at a set of traffic lights near the intersection of Dandenong Bypass and the South Gippsland Highway.
The officers and the male driver of the other vehicle were taken to hospital with minor injuries.
Seven News pictures of the aftermath show the wreckage of the yellow highway patrol car on one side of the intersection.
The marked V8 is one of two custom-made patrol cars Victoria Police recently took delivery of.
The bonnet of the second vehicle has flown open and the bumper bar has fallen off, leaving the engine exposed.
The male driver and passenger in the police vehicle received non-life threatening injuries, while the driver of the other vehicle is in a stable condition.
Witnesses told 7 News they saw the yellow patrol car speeding up with lights flashing but no siren, in pursuit of a speeding black van.
The van reportedly made its way through the intersection and escaped.
Police have denied the vehicle was “in pursuit” of the black van but conceded the car was on its way to a call-out.
"At the time of the incident, the police vehicle was undertaking urgent duty driving and no pursuit took place", a police spokesperson said.
"Detectives from the Major Collision Investigation Unit are now investigating the incident and are still working to determine the exact circumstances."
