A 30-year-old Preston man has been charged after he crashed a stolen vehicle into a petrol bowser, flattening it, in Bairnsdale over the weekend.
The incident happened at 4.15pm on Sunday afternoon at the Ampol service station, on the corner of Main and McCulloch Streets.
There had been a police pursuit after the driver of the Volkswagen Golf fled a Morwell petrol station earlier in the day after filling up without paying for fuel.
It's believed police were attempting to intercept the vehicle when it ploughed into the bowser in Bairnsdale, miraculously avoiding hitting pedestrians and other vehicles.
The driver fled the scene and was attempting to steal another vehicle in Main Street when he was pursued by a police member, eventually running off into Nicholson Street where he was arrested.
He has been charged with a number of criminal charges and traffic offences and will appear in court at a later date.

IMAGE: The stolen vehicle crashed into a petrol bowser at the Ampol service station in Bairnsdale on Sunday afternoon.