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Driver arrested after deadly police crash boasted of ‘racing my Porsche’

Richard Pusey has admitted charges relating to the horror death of police officers on Melbourne's Eastern Freeway.

Richard Pusey has admitted charges relating to the horror death of police officers on Melbourne's Eastern Freeway. Photos: AAP/Supplied

The Melbourne mortgage broker accused of fleeing a horrific crash that killed four police officers has been identified as a man with an extensive criminal history and a penchant for driving his Porsche at high speeds.

Richard Pusey, 41, remained in custody on Thursday afternoon, although he was yet to be charged.

He was arrested after reporting to a Melbourne police station on Thursday morning, accompanied by a lawyer.

Victoria Police officers allege he was stopped by Leading Senior Constable Lynette Taylor and trainee officer Constable Glen Humphris about 5.30pm on Wednesday, after doing 140km/h on Melbourne’s Eastern Freeway in his Porsche 911.

Senior Constable Kevin King and trainee officer Constable Josh Prestney were called to help impound the Porsche after Mr Pusey allegedly returned a positive drug test.

Police say a refrigerated truck hit the group as they stood in the emergency lane of the freeway, killing the officers.

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Emergency services at the crash scene in Melbourne on Thursday morning. Photo: AAP

They allege Mr Pusey took photos of the graphic crime scene before running away down the freeway. He allegedly shared the pictures to social media.

Passers-by, including an off-duty doctor, stopped to try to give first aid to the four officers but they could not be saved.

On Thursday afternoon, Victoria Police said Mr Pusey was on bail on unlawful assault and theft charges. He was due to appear at the Collingwood Neighbourhood Justice Centre later in April.

“He was also on summons to appear at Melbourne Magistrates Court to face a charge of criminal damage in June,” police said.

Mr Pusey, who runs Switch Now Home Loans, is a frequent social media user and often posts about his expensive sports car online.

He was also named as one of Mortgage Profession Australia’s top 100 brokers in 2013.

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A TripAdvisor post by Richard Pusey.

Mr Pusey, who says on social media he is from Seymour, in central Victoria, has left hundreds of TripAdvisor reviews. In some, he boasts about “racing” his Porsche.

“When I’m not racing my Porsche or chasing the Sky Bus for its free Wi-Fi, I like to get up and dance,” Pusey wrote on a November 2018 review of a Melbourne helicopter company.

“I’ve found these folks are particularly good at such things and will return one day when my heads not already near the clouds.”

He also has a YouTube channel with videos of him racing his car at Phillip Island.

 

Melbourne man James Tsagros posted dashcam footage to Facebook on March 21 that appeared to show Mr Pusey’s Porsche overtaking his vehicle at high speed on the Eastern Freeway.

It is not known who was driving the Porsche on that occasion.

In his business dealings, Mr Pusey recently sold a building in Melbourne’s CBD for more than $4 million.

He had bought the Guildford Lane property for $2.6 million in 2016, and it had been home to the city’s only Cat Cafe.

The deaths of the four officers is Victoria Police’s worst loss of life since three officers died in a shootout with Ned Kelly in 1880.

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