Harrowing footage has captured the moment a car thief slashed a police officer with a box knife before setting his car alight following a high-speed chase.
Diesel Jackson, 25, attacked two police officers at a home in Frankston, in Melbourne’s south-east, on the evening of March 22, 2024.
The officers, a man and woman, were responding to reports of a man at the property with a stolen white Jeep Grand Cherokee.
When they arrived, Jackson waved a box knife and slashed one of the officers before fleeing in the stolen vehicle.
Bodycam footage released by a judge to Seven News on Friday showed the male officer breaking away from the tussle and pointing a gun at the knife-wielding man.
‘Put it down… Put the f***ing knife down!’ he said.
During the altercation, the female officer pleaded with the male officer to let Jackson go, having found herself ‘trapped’ alone in the room with the armed man.
‘No, no, let him go, let him get out…. I’m trapped!’ she said.
During the altercation, neither of the officers were equipped with tasers but one of them used capsicum spray against the enraged Jackson, although it had little impact.
‘Let him go, not worth it,’ the female officer said as her police partner stepped out of the way to allow Jackson to go downstairs, before taking off in the stolen Jeep.
Outside, the pair watched as Jackson drove off, only for him to come back and speed up as he approached them on the pavement.
‘Watch out, he’s going to ram us!’ the female officer yelled, before ordering her partner to ‘Get out of the way!’
Aerial footage captured the high-speed chase through south-east Melbourne during which Jackson reportedly reached speeds approaching 170km/h.
Manoeuvring through dense, oncoming traffic, the Jeep could be seen mounting kerbs and median strips before he sped over police-deployed stop sticks.
The pursuit ended when Jackson lost control of the vehicle, spinning out on Cranbourne Road.
He then set fire to the stolen vehicle before fleeing on foot but was apprehended nearby.
The incident, which left both officers in hospital, has renewed calls for the Victorian Government to fast-track its plan to equip all front-line officers with tasers.
First proposed by the former Andrews Labor Government, the state has earmarked $214million towards funding the rollout of upgraded Axon tasers by September 2026.
Chief executive of the Police Association Victoria Wayne Gatt said tasers would ‘definitely have helped in the situation’.
The 25-year-old Jackson was charged with 28 offences including assaulting emergency worker whilst on duty, intentionally causing injury, recklessly causing injury and theft of motor vehicle.
He was convicted of eight offences and three summary offences and sentenced to six years imprisonment with four years non-parole.
Daily Mail has contacted Victorian Police Minister Anthony Carbines for comment.