An emotional father-of-five has fought back tears as he recalled the terrifying moment his and his infant son’s lives were threatened by an alleged gunman during a two-hour siege at a suburban house, where shots were exchanged with heavily armed police.Â
A man, 26, is expected to be charged after he allegedly barricaded himself with a high-powered rifle inside a Weir Views home in Melbourne’s west on Tuesday.
Ali and his one-year-old son had just woke up from an afternoon nap when he found his daughter’s bedroom door locked after the allegedly armed intruder broke into his Leon Drive home undetected.Â
‘My wife went to pick up my kids from the school and I was sleeping with my youngest son,’ he told Nine News.
‘One of my daughters’ bedrooms was locked and I tried to open [it]… I heard a noise that someone was inside and saying ‘I have a gun and I will kill you if you come inside’.
‘The guy was with a gun, he can shoot my son, he can shoot me. I couldn’t sleep last night.’Â
Ali recalled how the alleged gunman remained on the other side of the bedroom door during the exchange.Â
After backing away from the door, Ali called triple-0 and rang his wife, who told him that police had cordoned the street off.
A police officer carries Ali’s son to safety after a two-and-a-half-hour siege in Melbourne’s west
Police negotiated with the man for two hours before Ali and his son were able to be freed through a smashed window at the front of house with the boy carried to safety by police.
Ali is grateful for the efforts of police.Â
‘Thank God we are safe and police definitely did a good job,’ Ali said.
The surrounding area was placed into lockdown, with residents told to remain indoors as specialist officers surrounded the home.
Shocked neighbours told Nine News the scene was like a ‘Hollywood movie’.
‘It was wild, it was not right,’ one said.
‘My son was just screaming, it was horrific as a mother sorry, as a mother it was horrific,’ another told the channel. Â
Superintendent Michael Cruse said police negotiators worked for two hours to encourage the man to leave peacefully.
Shortly after 6pm, police believed they had made a breakthrough when the alleged gunman agreed for his hostages to leave unharmed.
Police allege the man then opened fire at officers.
‘At that point a tactical entry of the house has taken place by police. We’ll allege at that point that a further shot was fired towards the police entry team and they were able to deploy a police dog and the male offender was taken down,’ Superintendent Cruse said.
The alleged gunman, 26, remains in hospital after he was bitten by a police dog during the arrestÂ
Supt Cruse revealed one of the elite officers fired back, but did not hit the man.
‘The offending is very serious and it’s completely unacceptable that police member were exposed to this kind of danger,’Â Supt Cruse said.Â
Supt Cruse said the man allegedly fired multiple shots at police after he carjacked a 70-year old woman around 2.30pm on Tuesday in Snake Valley.
The man then allegedly made his way to Melton, where police deployed a police helicopter to track him for more than 100km to the Weir Views home where a dramatic siege took place.
Neighbours on Leon Drive told media the armed man was spotted playing on a trampoline in a nearby backyard before he allegedly forced his way into the home.
‘When they raided the house it was just chaotic,’ a resident recalled.
‘You heard the glass smashing, canines barking, people yelling obviously then we heard this blast and more glass smashing.
Supt Cruse confirmed reports that the man had been allegedly observed behaving in a bizarre fashion before taking the hostages, but wouldn’t go into specific details.
‘There was a period of time where he was behaving erratically in the backyard of the premises, yes,’ he said.
The alleged offender, 26, from Snake Valley was taken to hospital after he was bitten by a police dog during his dramatic arrest.
He’s expected to be released from hospital in the coming days, where he will be interviewed by police and most likely charged.
