Police forced to hide in Sunbury McDonald’s after shots fired
Three men have been charged after shots were fired at a police van in Sunbury in the early hours of Tuesday morning and the officers were forced to seek refuge in a McDonald’s restaurant.
Law & Order
Don't miss out on the headlines from Law & Order. Followed categories will be added to My News.
A man accused of shooting at police in Sunbury shouted from the dock “I haven’t done anything” as he faced court.
Joel Papa, 26, is one of three men charged over an incident in which shots were fired at a police car in Horne St about 3.15am on Tuesday.
Police took cover inside a McDonald’s restaurant.
Mr Papa, of Sunbury, appeared briefly in Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday where magistrate Jelena Popovic observed he appeared “disoriented”.
He faces charges including discharging a firearm, reckless conduct endangering serious injury and being a prohibited person in use of a firearm.
Co-accused Cruz Noonan, 18, and Brandon Tate Foon, 33, also appeared in court. All were remanded to November 6.
Police on Tuesday came under gunfire in Sunbury and were forced to flee their divisional van and seek refuge in a McDonald’s restaurant.
Officers were forced to seek cover alongside petrified restaurant staff, where more shots were fired from a yet-to-be-found shotgun.
The alleged gunmen, in a silver sedan, rammed the divisional van before speeding off. The car was dumped in nearby McInnes Drive. It was seen with a large bullet hole in the bonnet before it was towed.
Three Sunbury men aged 33, 26 and 18 were charged with discharging a firearm at a vehicle and reckless conduct endangering serious injury late on Tuesday night.
The two younger men were also charged with being a prohibited person in possession of a firearm.
The Special Operations Group and the Air Wing helped to make the arrests.
Two men were arrested at a Phillip Drive home in Sunbury while another was arrested at a Withers Close home.
Police searched a waterway between McInnes Drive and Withers Close for the shotgun.
Police Association secretary Wayne Gatt said the incident highlighted the vulnerability of Victoria’s police officers and PSOs.
Four officers ended up sheltering in the McDonald’s, a second unit having rushed to assist the first after the initial shots were fired.
“They’ve been targeted simply because of the uniform they wear,” Mr Gatt said.
The trio was remanded and will appear at Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday.
Victoria Police Assistant Commissioner Luke Cornelius said the “outrageous” incident unfolded during routine patrolling.
“We are just appalled this behaviour occurs in our community,” he said.
— Do you know more? Email brianna.travers@news.com.au
Neighbours told the Herald Sun the two men, who live at the property with their mum, were “notorious troublemakers” and have a profile around Sunbury.
“Everyone knows them,” one neighbour said.
“They are notorious troublemakers.”
While searching the garage a sign with the initials “FTP” was visible, understood to stand for “f--- the police”.
An Australian flag was draped over the sign.
Police searched a blue Holden with personalised number plates in the driveway.
This is the car believed to have been used by a gunman as he repeatedly shot at police and rammed their car in two separate incidents in Sunbury this morning. It has a bullet hole in its bonnet. Three men in custody. pic.twitter.com/4DjxHrbVgR
— Paul Dowsley (@pauldowsley7) August 13, 2019
OFFICERS CAUGHT UP IN SPATE OF VIOLENCE
Police Association secretary Wayne Gatt said the violent incident highlighted the vulnerability of Victoria’s police officers and PSOs.
“It is bad, and disappointingly I think we are on a trend where we are seeing increasing levels of violence against police officers, we’ve being calling it now for a number of years,” he told 3AW.
“In my humble opinion, I don’t think it’s been more dangerous than it is today to be a police officer in the state of Victoria.
“Our members are being assaulted with a frightening regularity.”
The police officers involved are said to be “doing very well” this morning with no physical injuries.
Mr Gatt described the shocking incident as “incredible” after travelling to Sunbury to speak to members involved — three male officers and a female.
The four officers were from two separate units on two different patrols, with the second unit rushing to the scene to assist after the initial shots were fired.
One officer is a sergeant and three are “fairly junior” officers.
“This is the reality of policing — often they are some of our more junior members on the divisional van, sometimes they are more experienced,” Mr Gatt said.
“Who they are and what they are is largely irrelevant to us — what matters though is they are simply out there doing the important job.
“While we’re asleep last night — all of us in our beds, tucked up at night and warm and comfortable — they were out there doing the hard yards protecting the community and this is what they confronted for that.”
He said the incident was of “deep concern” because the members appeared to have been targeted simply for their blue uniform.
“It’s instigated by them (the shooters), there appears to be no reason apart from them being police officers,” Mr Gatt said.
“They’ve been targeted simply because of the uniform they wear.”
Police swarmed the area in a massive search for the car and to escort the four police officers and three McDonald’s workers from the restaurant.
Victoria Police Assistant Commissioner Luke Cornelius said the terrifying incident unfolded during routine patrolling.
“When our members became aware they were under fire, they found hard cover, as is their training,” he said.
He said the behaviour was “outrageous”.
“We are just appalled this behaviour occurs in our community,” Mr Cornelius said. “This is outrageous conduct.
“You can expect police will respond to it fully. Our police are here to keep the community safe.”
Mr Gatt said the members had been offered and provided with welfare support after the harrowing ordeal.
“They’re clearly in the early hours post-incident,” he said. “They’re getting their heads around this.
“One minute, they’re serving the community — the next minute, they’re victims of random violence. That’s hard to process.”
MACCA’S WORKERS’ TERRIFYING ORDEAL
Sunbury McDonald’s is cordoned off while forensic police comb the scene for clues.
They are focusing on the carpark and a series of evidence markers are in place.
A McDonald’s worker in the store at the time of the shooting has posted to social media about the late night ordeal.
“I was on shift in Macca’s when it happened,” the employee’s Facebook post said.
“There were shots fired extremely close to the store towards a passing police car.
“We hid away and took lockdown in the store.
“The gunman never even attempted to enter the building but did go into the car park meaning Macca’s is currently closed.
“We were evacuated and after everything, me and the two other workers as well as all of the police that were there are okay and safely home now.”
McDonald’s Sunbury workers have been told by managers not to turn up at work today.
Three men arrested after police car shot at in Sunbury this morning .. McDonalds here closed where officers hid inside @3AW693 pic.twitter.com/ECf7fc7Ruo
— Kiara Parker (@Kiara_Parker_) August 12, 2019
“No one come into work until further notice,” staff were told in a message.
“Until further notice there is an active police investigation, no one is allowed in the store.
“Please stay home until further notice.”
A Sunbury resident said she woke up to the police helicopter hovering over her house, before a man was arrested in her street.
“Police were shining lights into my bathroom,” she said. “We had six police cars in my street, SWAT teams, red and blue lights flashing.
“Police said, get back inside and lock your doors. I heard over the loudspeaker police saying: ‘Come out with your hands up.’”
The neighbour told the Herald Sun the male’s mother was out the front of the home and was visibly upset.
She also said police told her the offender had dumped a backpack in a nearby laneway.
COP INJURED IN MONT ALBERT RAMMING
It was not the only incident where police were targeted this morning.
An officer was struck by an allegedly stolen car in Mont Albert at 1am.
It happened after officers responded to a report of a suspicious vehicle in Laing St.
Police spotted a white BMW sedan on the street before it reversed into Victoria Crescent, drove forward and smashed into two police cars.
The car was boxed in by another police vehicle.
As officers approached the BMW and used OC spray on the driver, the vehicle reversed again striking a male Leading Senior Constable in the leg before driving off
MORE NEWS: COLES EXEC ACCUSED OF MAJOR THEFT
‘TOMATO TIN GANG’ PLANS BID FOR FREEDOM
The officer was taken to hospital for treatment.
Mr Cornelius, speaking about the Mont Albert incident, said police rammings had become “a very worrying trend”.
“We are very concerned about our members, the safety of our members who put themselves in harm’s way to keep the community safe,” he said.
“We don’t go to work expecting people will be lining our members up in their sights.”
He said a wide-scale police operation was underway to catch the driver responsible.