A GUNMAN has been arrested after dozens of shots were fired in Perth`s eastern suburbs.
Dozens of shots could be heard ringing out, as police appeared to open fire in a battle with the gunman.
However minutes later police said the man had been arrested and was in custody and had not been harmed.
Just minutes earlier, a prolonged volley of shots lasting several seconds, blasted out over a period of about two minutes.
Police could be heard shouting as the shots continued.
Smoke from the gunfire could be seen rising above the roof.
Journalists who were held back from the scene by a police cordon were stunned by the extraordinary volley of gunfire, which then suddently fell silent.
An eye-witness told of his terror as the crazed gunman fired a shotgun directly at him in his street.
Earlier police confirmed they had surrounded an armed man in a car, after shots were fired earlier at police during a high-speed pursuit near Midland today.
The vehicle has stopped at a house near the intersection of Hodges St and Toodyay Rd, Middle Swan where police are attempting to negotiate with the man.
A resident, who wanted to be knownly only as Scott, said he was sitting in his loungeroom when he heard police sirens in the street and saw the gunman`s car pull into his neighbour`s driveway directly opposite him.
"Obviously he was being chased, and he has got stuck in a cul de sac, he screamed into the gravel driveway at the side of the house at about 50km/h.
"There were shots flying everywhere. I looked out the window and there were cops ducking and weaving, they did not know where to go.
"I didn`t know where to go, I was shitting myself, he was firing out the driveway straight towards me. I was off out the back, and over the back fence in a jiffy.``
There are unconfirmed reports that residents had earlier heard "about 20 shots".
Just after 2.30pm reporters several hundred metres away heard two shots ring out. Minutes later two more volleys of two shots each rang out several minutes apart.
Police Inspector Peter Morrissey, at the scene, said that the man was still in his car armed with a shot gun.
He said residents in Hodges Street have been evacuated and are not in danger.
``The scene is totally contained by the TRG, he is negotiating with us at the moment,`` Insp Morrissey said.
"We are negotiating with the man and obviously, because we have been speaking to him for some time, we know who he is. There is no fear for the safety of any other person.
"There have been a few shots fired off at this stage.
"The police that are dealing with the situation are highly trained and highly equipped.``
Earlier police confirmed they had surrounded an armed man in a car, after shots were fired earlier at police during a high-speed pursuit near Midland today.
The vehicle has stopped at a house near the intersection of Hodges St and Toodyay Rd, Middle Swan where police are thought to be negotiating with the man.
Police have cordoned off streets close to the emergency and St Brigid`s Primary School in Middle Swan has been evacuated. A police helicopter was hovering above.
Witness Caide Dowey said he heard one shot fired at 1.45pm as he left Swan TAFE Midland in nearby Lloyd St when classes finished.
``I heard one shot, but that was about 1.45pm,`` Mr Dowey told PerthNow.
``All the traffic was blocked off and there were about 10 police cars with police wearing protective vests.``
``It was crazy, pretty scary.``
``In the distance, about 10m from the road block, there were six or seven police officers crouched down behind a car. At first I thought they were helping someone or there had been a car crash.``
``But when I heard the shot, I knew it was something a bit bigger.``
Read the whole story at PerthNow
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