Mudgeeraba siege: Man taken into custody at end of hours-long siege

A man who was allegedly armed and threatened to set a Gold Coast unit on fire during a dramatic hours-long siege has been taken into custody. SEE THE VIDEO

A man has been taken into custody by police following an hours-long siege on the Gold Coast.

The man was escorted from the building on Railway St, Mudgeeraba at about 4.15pm on Wednesday, close to eight hours since the property was first surrounded by police.

Paramedics at the scene said the incident was mental health-related and that the man eventually left the property peacefully.

The man was transported by ambulance in a stable condition to Gold Coast University Hospital.

A man has been taken into custody after a major police operation on Railway St in Mudgeeraba. Picture: Amaani Siddeek

Police negotiators spoke with the man - who was allegedly armed with an axe and gas cylinder and threatened to set fire to the property - throughout the day in an effort to end the stand-off.

Gold Coast Superintendent Peter Miles said the man had not made any demands bar asking for food.

Officers were seen bringing a tray of Subway sandwiches into the unit at about 1.30pm.

It was reported earlier on Wednesday that a woman who was previously at the property was no longer at the scene, with police believing the man to be the only person inside.

A major police operation is underway on Railway St in Mudgeeraba after an armed man barricaded himself inside a property. Picture: Amaani Siddeek.

A Queensland Police Service spokesperson asked the public to avoid the area while the police operation was ongoing.

Public Safety Response Team officers are among multiple police crews present. Fire and ambulance units are also at the scene, with ambulance officers seen wearing protective vests.

A detective and a negotiator were seen entering the building shortly before 1.30pm.

Police did not need to force entry to the building.

Specialist police at the siege in Mudgeeraba. Picture: Glenn Campbell

Specialist police at the scene in Mudgeeraba. Picture: Glenn Campbell

The negotiator later exited the property before re-entering with a box of Subway sandwiches.

As the stand-off dragged on into the afternoon, tempers at the scene began to fray.

A disgruntled tenant from the unit building where the man was holed up lashed out at officers attending the scene.

Residents of the complex have been left without access to their homes and cars as police keep people away from the incident area.

One tenant, a woman, was seen yelling at officers stationed outside the unit complex to “let me back into my home”.

“I’m sick of it, I want my house back,” she said.

Police on the scene said earlier on Wednesday that there was “no real sense of urgency” and that the siege would “unfold as it happens”.

The man was not a resident of the building.

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Originally published as Mudgeeraba siege: Man taken into custody at end of hours-long siege