Overview

• Victoria Police charged a 19-year-old Oak Park man with reckless conduct endangering life and serious injury, dangerous driving, unlicensed driving, and a probationary breach, and he was bailed to appear at Broadmeadows Magistrates' Court on January 21, 2026.
• The collision occurred about 10:45pm on the Tullamarine Freeway, where the police vehicle was struck from behind, spun, became airborne, and crashed over an inner barrier.
• Rocco, a five-year-old German Shepherd, was ejected from the vehicle and scans found no broken bones or internal injuries, with officers reporting scrapes and scratches only.
• Rocco and his handler will take time off to recover and will not deploy to the planned Porepunkah search for fugitive Dezi Freeman.
• The driver stopped and was uninjured, his 21-year-old passenger was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, and a passer-by helped secure Rocco at the scene.