On the Street

Four Australian Officers Struck and Killed

April 22, 2020

Two Victoria police officers had pulled over a speeding Porsche driver on the Eastern Freeway and were joined by two others after calling for backup before a refrigeration truck plowed into their police vehicles, killing all four officers.

By Deutsche Presse-Agentur GmbH (Hamburg, Germany)

MELBOURNE, Australia -- Four Australian police officers were killed in a multi-car crash on a Melbourne highway on Wednesday.

Two officers had pulled over a speeding Porsche driver on the Eastern Freeway. They called for backup and two more officers arrived at the scene.

A refrigeration truck then plowed into the police vehicles, killing the four officers.

The driver of the sports car fled the scene on foot.

Victoria police commissioner Graham Ashton provided an account of the events at a press conference, describing it as a "very tragic night."

He said police are working to determine what caused the trailer truck to crash into the officers. The truck driver was taken to hospital for treatment.

The police commissioner said he "strongly" recommends that the driver of the speeding Porsche proceed to the nearest police station.

"Awful, heart-breaking news that four police officers have been killed while on duty in Melbourne tonight. My deepest sympathies go out to their families, fellow officers and friends at this terrible time," Prime Minister Scott Morrison wrote on Twitter.

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