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A Ballarat man has been charged after he allegedly crashed a stolen vehicle in Swanston Street on Friday morning.
Detectives from Port Phillip Crime Investigation Unit charged the 36-year-old man with nine offences including aggravated burglary, reckless conduct endangering life and theft of motor vehicle.
He appeared at Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Saturday and was remanded in custody to appear again at a later date.
EARLIER:
A Ballarat man is in hospital under police guard after crashing an allegedly stolen car in Swanston Street on Friday morning.
The 36-year-old had allegedly been on a crime spree in St Kilda in the hours before the smash, entering a home on Marine Parade before stealing a car from a service station.
Police allege the man entered the home about 5.30am. The owner woke to find the man inside the house.
The man left on foot before allegedly stealing a black Holden Rodeo from a service station on Barkly Street, St Kilda, about 6.25am.
Police will allege the man then travelled north to the CBD, driving erratically along Swanston Street before crashing into a pole about 6.40am.
According to investigators, the impact of the crash caused the car to roll and slide up the street where it came to rest on tram tracks at the intersection of Swanston and Bourke streets.
Police said the incident could have been "catastrophic".
The driver allegedly fled the scene and was located by police at Southern Cross Station a short time later.
A witness chased the man west along Bourke Street, but lost sight of him when he ran into a building.
It is believed the man sustained injuries as he was seen bleeding from the head.
The crash took out a set of traffic lights and briefly blocked tram routes through the city.
Two Metropolitan Fire Brigade trucks attended at the scene, along with police, and VicRoads technicians were sent to restore the traffic lights.
For about an hour, the car, lying on its side, blocked tram lines at the intersection of Swanston and Bourke streets, prompting Yarra Trams to divert routes 86 and 96 in both directions via La Trobe Street.
At 7.40am, Yarra Trams announced that the trams had resumed, but warned of delays as the timetable was restored.
The story first appeared on The Age.