Police shot at before standoff
TWO armed men who allegedly fired a shot at police are in custody following a six-hour standoff with officers in a building in Brisbane’s inner west.
The men, aged 29 and 33, were taken away in police vehicles after surrendering to officers around 4.40pm yesterday.
The standoff was sparked when officers investigating a series of property offences across the city’s southside went to an apartment on Chasely Street at Auchenflower yester- day around 11am where they confronted two men.
Inspector Tony Ridge said one of the men fired a shot at officers, sparking an emergency situation.
“When our SERT officers were gaining entry to the unit there was a shot fired and the two male offenders barricaded themselves inside a unit,” Insp Ridge said.
The emergency situation shut down local traffic, including the major nearby road Coronation Drive, causing significant traffic congestion.
Police boats were also called in during the standoff and used to stop all traffic, including ferries, on the nearby Brisbane River.
The lockdown prevented some people from leaving or travelling to the nearby Wesley hospital.
Ambulances were still able to get through and the hospital did not need to be evacuated.
But police did move some people out of rooms on the side of the hospital closest to where yesterday’s incident took place.