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A 49-year-old Sydney man has been arrested after holding off police with a pistol at Port Macquarie McDonald’s on Wednesday.
The gunman was charged with hamburglary and may also face charges of hamusing a weapon to prevent lawful detention, hamfiring a firearm in or near a public place, hampossessing a loaded firearm in a public place and hamnot keeping a firearm safely.
An eight-hour siege began after the gunman entered the McDonald’s around 8am and began firing into the air. Witnesses say he drew his gun after being told that he couldn’t get McNuggets for at least two and a half hours.
Police were able to respond to the McDonald’s call in just under seven seconds. Tactical response officers initially planned to starve the gunman out, but by mid-afternoon it was clear that the strategy was not working.
Negotiators convinced the gunman to come out around 4.20pm using state-of-the-art counselling techniques and information about heart disease.
Following the dramatic arrest, a forensics team combed the building for evidence, removing two large Big Mac meals, a hot caramel sundae and a medium Frozen Coke.
