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Dramatic arrest after man leaps from moving van and is hit by police car during Melbourne pursuit

The man was handcuffed and taken into custody.

Dramatic arrest after man leaps from moving van and is hit by police car during Melbourne pursuit

The man was handcuffed and taken into custody.

Dramatic vision has emerged of a wild police chase that ended with a man being struck after leaping from a moving vehicle.

The 36-year-old Point Cook man was spotted allegedly driving a stolen van in Footscray in Melbourne’s inner west, prompting a pursuit on Friday.

WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Police chase van through Melbourne

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The van had reportedly been stolen earlier that morning from St Kilda Rd about 5.40am.

Police allege the man was driving the van was driven “erratically” through several suburbs including Melbourne, Port Melbourne, Spotswood, Carnegie, Sunshine, Dandenong, and Point Cook — crashing into both moving and parked vehicles along the way.

Footage captured by the 7NEWS chopper shows the badly damaged white van — with flames sparking underneath — tearing through traffic as it fled police.

A man was struck after leaping from a moving vehicle. Credit: 7NEWS
The van knocked down several street signs after mounting the kerb to dodge another car. Credit: 7NEWS

At one point, it mounted the kerb to dodge another car, taking out several street signs in the process.

The chase came to an end about 1pm at the intersection of Dunnings Rd and Palmers Rd in Point Cook.

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The man leapt from the driver’s seat of the moving van, rolling onto the road before quickly leaping to his feet and trying to run.

However, he only made it a few steps before being hit by an unmarked police car.

Several officers jumped out of the vehicle, with others nearby rushing in to arrest him.

He was handcuffed and taken into custody.

The man was arrested following the dramatic chase. Credit: 7NEWS
The man was fleeing police at high speed. Credit: 7NEWS

He was later taken to hospital under police guard with non-life-threatening injuries.

The white van the man abandoned kept rolling before it knocked down a road sign and came to a halt.

In a remarkable twist, the driver’s parents happened to be driving past and pulled over curious to see what was unfolding, only to realise it was their son at the centre of the afternoon chaos.

They told 7NEWS none of the items visible inside the van appeared to belong to him.

The man is expected to be interviewed by police.

He is likely to face a string of significant charges.

“Even just looking at the video, I’ve lost count on fingers, toes, and everything else as to how many charges I could see,” an officer said.

The van’s front end was left mangled after the chase. Credit: 7NEWS

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