By Riley Walter
Two men are on the run after peppering an insurance brokerage in Sydney’s west with bullets and torching a getaway car in what police are treating as a targeted attack.
The gunmen, who police are yet to identify, were captured on CCTV emerging from a BMW sedan with guns in hand just after 1am on Monday before firing close to a dozen shots at the Community Broker Network offices on Haig Avenue in Georges Hall.
The footage, aired by Nine News, shows the hooded men walk towards the business before shots ring out.
About 10 minutes later, emergency services were called to Kawana Street in Bass Hill after reports of a car on fire. The car was so badly burnt that police are yet to determine its exact make or model or if it was stolen, but the arson and shooting are believed to be linked.
Crime scenes have been established at the brokerage and on Kawana Street, with forensic police now examining each. Police believe three people, two gunmen and a driver, were involved in the incident. No injuries have been reported.
Detective Chief Inspector Darren Sly said police were pursuing several lines of inquiry around the shooting, which is believed to have been a targeted attack.
“Absolutely it would be a targeted attack,” Sly told reporters on Monday.
“When people get out [of a car] or start firing shots into premises it’s certainly something which is obviously a major factor, and certainly for police it’s not something that we want in our community and something that we want to stamp out and obviously address.”
Sly said police had not received any previous reports of safety concerns from the business owners, and it was unclear if the shooters had targeted the wrong business. There is no suggestion of wrongdoing by Community Broker Network.
In a statement, Community Broker Network said the office building houses an independent business acting as authorised representative of the company.
“We are relieved to understand that no injuries have been reported,” it said.
“As the incident is under police investigation, we are not able to provide any further comment on the matter until the investigation is complete.”
“What happened with the vehicle drop off around the fire, that will all form part of our investigation, and police will be out knocking on doors and looking for further evidence this morning,” Sly said.
Anyone with information about the shooting or care fire is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.