Australia: man arrested after shooting at police in Melbourne

A man has been arrested after allegedly shooting at police officers in Melbourne, in Australia’s state of Victoria, local police said.

Victoria police said in a statement on Tuesday night that the man was arrested following a siege that lasted several hours on Tuesday afternoon, Xinhua news agency reported.

The statement said that police were monitoring a vehicle believed to have been stolen on Tuesday afternoon when the armed male driver got out of the car and fired shots at officers before entering a house in Weir Views, about 35 km west of Melbourne, where a man and toddler, unknown to the offender, were inside.

Following negotiations between police and the offender, the man and toddler were able to leave the house with no physical injuries.

“The man fired at police once again, police returned fire, and the police dog was deployed to assist with the arrest,” said the police.

The man sustained a dog bite injury during the arrest and was taken to hospital under police guard for treatment. No police officers were injured.

An investigation into the incident is currently underway.