Berkeley post office: Michael Black, Richard Hasiuk, Trevor Leal charged over alleged armed robbery
Three men have appeared in court after an alleged armed robbery led to a dramatic siege situation south of Wollongong.
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Three men have been charged after an alleged gunpoint armed robbery led to a dramatic siege which shut down a Berkeley street last night.
Michael Black, who was wanted at the time, Trevor Leal and Richard Hasiuk were arrested in Warwick Street, Berkeley, just before 11pm on Tuesday night, after police launched a wide-scale search using the tactical response unit, PolAir and the dog squad, following an alleged armed robbery at a local post office.
Leal, 22, and Hasiuk, 35 were charged with robbery armed with a dangerous weapon, while Black was charged with robbery armed with a dangerous weapon and possess prohibited drug. He was also charged with outstanding warrants relating to firearm offences and an aggravated break and enter.
Appearing at Wollongong Local Court on Wednesday, Leal and Black did not make applications for bail, while Hasiuk’s application for release was refused by Magistrate Susan McGowan.
In documents tendered to the court, police allege Leal and Black stormed a Berkeley post office just after 3pm yesterday, armed with a knife and a handgun.
It’s alleged the pair walked into the shop wearing balaclavas, before Black, who was allegedly holding the knife, jumped onto the counter and yelled “where is the money, where is the money.”
In the documents, police allege while Leal pointed a gun at him, the store attendant pointed to a drawer below the counter, prompting Black to start grabbing handfuls of cash from the till.
While the men allegedly pointed weapons at him, the attendant pressed the duress button before slipping through an automatic door into a backroom for safety.
Police allege after the man escaped into the next room, the pair fled, running past several witnesses, allegedly holding the knife and gun in plain sight.
Leal and Black allegedly jumped into the back of a grey Audi, which in court documents, police allege was being driven by Hasiuk.
Police attended the Winnima Way post office a short time later and obtained DNA and CCTV footage from the crime scene.
Around 6.30pm that evening, police received information that the grey Audi allegedly used as a getaway vehicle was parked in the backyard of Warwick Street home in Berkeley.
Officers arrived on scene, where in court documents police alleged they saw Leal jump a fence of at the rear of the home into a neighbouring yard.
He was arrested and taken to Lake Illawarra Police Station.
Black and Hasiuk did not leave the home for several hours with a siege situation unfolding in the quiet suburban street.
With the assistance of expert negotiators, police allege in the documents the pair walked out of the home around 10.45pm where they were arrested by police.
Following the incident on Tuesday evening, Lake Illawarra Police District Inspector James Dark said that after the arrests, a search was conducted on the home, where police allegedly located a pistol and knives believed to be used in the armed robbery.
The three men will remain in custody until their matters are heard before Wollongong Local Court again in April.