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Handgun found in Wallaroo yard as cops hunt gunman
UPDATE: Wanted man Jake Dohnt has been taken into custody by police near Port Wakefield.
UPDATE: Wanted man Jake Dohnt has been taken into custody by police near Port Wakefield. Earlier, the handgun suspected of being pointed at police by Wallaroo fugitive Jake Dohnt has been found in the Copper Coast township.
Local resident Mark O’Brien told The Advertiser that he found the handgun in the backyard of his Prince St home - which sits in the area that police had previously declared a danger zone. Police are yet to confirm the handgun has been seized. SA Police have moved their operations base to Kadina, as the search for “armed and dangerous” suspect Jake Dohnt continues, and are yet to confirm if an item found in a back yard was in fact a handgun. A heavy police presence, including STAR Group officers, Dog Operations Unit and the armoured Bearcat locked down part of Wallaroo for nearly 24 hours and moved from property to property in search of the armed man. It prompted police to declare two “dangerous areas” in the small Copper Coast town — but both were cleared by officers Tuesday afternoon. Only a small section of Daly St, where officers fired a shot at the man after he allegedly levelled the firearm at them, is still closed. It has been declared a crime scene and will be investigated by a forensics team Tuesday night. Police have moved their base of operations to Kadina. Operations Inspector for the Yorke and Mid North Allison Clark said officers have been trying to contact Dohnt on his mobile phone but have so far been unsuccessful. “I ask Jake to return SMS messages and mobile telephone calls that have been made by police as we would like to talk to him about his welfare and coming forward so that we can end this current situation safely,” Inspector Alison Clark said. SA Police have given an update on the hunt for a man He was last seen in the early hours of Tuesday morning. Insp Clark said they believe Dohnt remains in the Wallaroo area and is being harboured by people within the local community. No arrests have been made so far but Insp Clark warned those hiding Dohnt would be “dealt with” by police. Locals are warned not to approach the suspect as he is considered “armed and dangerous”. Overnight, residents were either not allowed to return to their homes or were told to stay inside and lock all their doors and windows. Just before 10pm STAR Group officers left Wallaroo and raided a property in nearby Kadina in what they called an “intelligence-gathering exercise”. The man is wanted after a pursuit on the Spencer Highway on Monday afternoon. He refused to pull over before abandoning his car in the town. Officers fired a shot at the man after he allegedly levelled the firearm at them. “No police were injured but we have yet to have a proper assessment of whether that person (the gunman) has been injured,” SA Police Commissioner Grant Stevens said. “No police were injured but we have yet to have a proper assessment of whether that person (the gunman) has been injured.” Dohnt is described as caucasian, about 160cm, 70kg, medium build, with brown eyes, light brown hair and wearing black long pants and a black windcheater. Wallaroo residents say they are terrified at the thought a man armed with a gun could be hiding in their town. One woman, who lives in the danger area but was forced to sleep at a hotel Monday night, made a plea for the man to surrender. “I’m just scared, I’ve never been through this before,” she told The Advertiser. “Just come out and surrender, it’s the best thing you can do. “Everyone is worried … he needs to be caught. “I’m scared the police might barge into my house.” READ MONDAY’S FULL REPORT