Robber flees into China consulate
Source: Agencies |
December 31, 2011, Saturday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
AUSTRALIAN police arrested a man accused of robbing a Sydney bar and then inadvertently fleeing to the grounds of the Chinese consulate, sparking a tense manhunt yesterday.
Mark Murdoch, New South Wales police assistant commissioner, said police were chasing the man when he scaled the fence surrounding the nearby consulate grounds. Murdoch said the man and police traded gunfire, but no one was hit.
Police shut down roads around the consulate and secured the complex. They finally found the man in a building outside the consulate grounds after a six-hour siege. He was arrested.
Police also arrested the man's alleged accomplice outside the bar. Officials did not release the men's names.
Murdoch said the man's decision to flee to the consulate grounds was random.
Residents of Sydney's Camperdown were awakened about 2am to the sound of gunfire. Federal police were immediately notified due to the national security breach and the area, near the University of Sydney, was quickly transformed into a tightly locked militarized zone.
Liu Kan, Chinese Deputy Consul-General in Sydney, told Xinhua news agency that the Chinese side gave a nod to local police's request to search for the suspect in the consulate compound in which only some bloodstains allegedly left by the robber were found. He confirmed that gunshots were fired.
"I clearly heard several cracks, like fireworks.. At first I thought it was just some kind of New Year celebrations," said Jonathon Wainwright, a local resident. "But when I looked out the window this morning, it was like something out of a Hollywood film."
The special response unit and a highly-trained dog squad were called in to the scene and ambulances were reported ferrying in and out of the area. However, aside from the suspect who sustained minor cuts and was taken into custody, there were no reports of injuries.
Mark Murdoch, New South Wales police assistant commissioner, said police were chasing the man when he scaled the fence surrounding the nearby consulate grounds. Murdoch said the man and police traded gunfire, but no one was hit.
Police shut down roads around the consulate and secured the complex. They finally found the man in a building outside the consulate grounds after a six-hour siege. He was arrested.
Police also arrested the man's alleged accomplice outside the bar. Officials did not release the men's names.
Murdoch said the man's decision to flee to the consulate grounds was random.
Residents of Sydney's Camperdown were awakened about 2am to the sound of gunfire. Federal police were immediately notified due to the national security breach and the area, near the University of Sydney, was quickly transformed into a tightly locked militarized zone.
Liu Kan, Chinese Deputy Consul-General in Sydney, told Xinhua news agency that the Chinese side gave a nod to local police's request to search for the suspect in the consulate compound in which only some bloodstains allegedly left by the robber were found. He confirmed that gunshots were fired.
"I clearly heard several cracks, like fireworks.. At first I thought it was just some kind of New Year celebrations," said Jonathon Wainwright, a local resident. "But when I looked out the window this morning, it was like something out of a Hollywood film."
The special response unit and a highly-trained dog squad were called in to the scene and ambulances were reported ferrying in and out of the area. However, aside from the suspect who sustained minor cuts and was taken into custody, there were no reports of injuries.
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