Two police officers have spent the night in hospital after their patrol car was rammed by a stolen government firefighting vehicle near Lakes Entrance in Victoria's east.
Police have arrested a 30-year-old man from East Gippsland in relation to the alleged incident involving a stolen Mercedes Benz G Wagon.
The Forest Fire Management Victoria four-wheel drive, which has a 630-litre capacity tank on its tray, was taken from a repair shop on Saturday at about 5:00pm.
Police said the vehicle rammed into the back of a parked police patrol car near the Colqhoun State Forest.
The police helicopter and the canine unit were called after a man got out of the vehicle and ran into the forest.
Banged up but OK
Detective Sergeant Andy Mehlert, from Bairnsdale Police, said the two officers spent the night in hospital.
"The two occupants of the vehicle were injured and taken to Bairnsdale hospital with non-life-threatening injuries and were released on Sunday with bruising and soreness," he said.
Detective Sergeant Mehlert said the size difference of the vehicles meant the police car was likely to be a write-off.
"The police vehicle was a BMW highway patrol sedan, and the vehicle was stationary when it was rammed in the rear," he said.
"There was significant damage to the police vehicle," he said.
The Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning refused to comment.
Police are appealing for dashcam footage from the Lakes Entrance industrial area, Capes Road or the Coulquhoun Road from Saturday evening.
