Police hit 26-year-old man with multiple charges after Weir Views siege
The police have slapped a young man with a raft of serious charges after he allegedly took another man and a toddler hostage in a dramatic suburban standoff.
The young man who allegedly held a father and a toddler hostage in a random home in Melbourne’s west this week has fronted court on multiple serious charges.
The 26-year-old Snake Valley, appearing at Melbourne Magistrates Court on Friday evening following the shock siege on Leon Drive in Weir Views on Tuesday, is facing two counts of false imprisonment, theft of a motor vehicle, five counts of assault police, five counts of discharging a firearm reckless to the safety of a police officer, five counts of assault police, threatening to inflict serious injury, two counts of recklessly endangering life, trespass, make a threat to kill, criminal damage and firearms charges.
The police allege the chaos started after the man allegedly carjacked a vehicle on Tuesday.
The police said they tracked the car with a helicopter around the city’s Melton area about 3.40pm.
The man got out of the car and allegedly fired shots at the police before allegedly entering the house, the police said.
The two occupants, a man and a toddler, were not known to the Snake Valley man.
The police said the man was armed with a high-powered rifle.
The area was locked down quickly, with residents urged to keep indoors, as police negotiators swarmed on the property.
The siege went on for about two hours.
Police negotiated with the 26-year-old, and the man and toddler able to leave the address through a front window uninjured.
Victoria Police Superintendent Michael Cruse said a further shot was fired at the police as the police moved in to arrest the man.
“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,” he said.
The police dog was deployed to assist with the arrest, which took place just after 6pm, the police added.