Belmont incident: WA Police officer seriously injured in suspected hit-and-run

A WA Police officer has been seriously injured in a suspected hit-and-run in Perth’s inner east. Three paramedic crews were sent to the scene in Belmont, near the roundabout at Stanton Road and Epsom Avenue about 5pm. A WA Police spokesman said a white Toyota HiLux had been stopped on the road in the area, before the on-duty officer tried to speak with the driver. It is understood the officer, believed to be a man in his 40s, was then hit by the car as it sped away. “The police officer received serious injuries in the incident and was taken by St John WA to Royal Perth Hospital,” the spokesman said. A St John WA spokeswoman said the officer suffered serious injuries. The officer was being treated at RPH where he remained in a stable condition as of 10pm, before being admitted overnight, a hospital spokesperson said. Police said shortly after the officer was “ran over,” the HiLux crashed down an embankment on the Roe Highway entry ramp, heading south, near Clayton Street in Bellevue. A man aged in his 30s was arrested at the scene. It is not believed he was injured. A tow truck, with the assistance of police, recovered the ute involved in the suspected hit-and-run just after 9pm. The front of the car was damaged and covered in shrub, with police seen briefly searching inside the car. The West Australian understands the vehicle was being driven in the opposite direction on Roe Highway before it crashed — around 10km east of where the officer was struck. Police allege the car was being driven erratically after it was used to mow down the on-duty police officer. Lee Smith, who has lived on Epsom Avenue for just six weeks, said it was “terrible” to know a police officer had been injured. “They are terrific our coppers around here,” he said. “When I had to call them the other night last week . . . the police and ambulance were here in around five minutes, they are good.” A worker at a nearby shop, who didn’t wish to be identified, said customers saw the police officer on the ground after the incident. Police, including a community liaison officer, were at the scene in Belmont, with nearby roads closed to the public. Major crime officers are investigating the incident. Police urged anyone with CCTV, or mobile phone footage, of the white car in the areas around Epsom Avenue, Belmont, Great Eastern Highway or Roe Highway, Bellevue, to upload it directly to investigators here: https://wapf.au.evidence.com/.../belmontpoliceincident “This vehicle is quite distinctive with a dark coloured bullbar and high visibility reflective strips down each side,” they said. The scene is less than 2km from where Const. Anthony Woods was allegedly mowed down in June last year while attempting to arrest the driver of a suspected stolen car. The 28-year-old constable died several days after the incident.