Police are searching for a gunman who fled after threatening members of the public and setting fire to a van in Sydney’s inner west.
Riot squad officers, officers in bulletproof vests and the PolAir helicopter responded to the incident near Williams Parade in Dulwich Hill.
A witness has told the ABC that a number of ambulances arrived at the scene and another said nearby residents had been told to stay indoors.
NSW Police have told nearby residents to stay indoors. (Supplied)
Police said officers responded about 10:20am after reports of a stolen vehicle in a car park.
Officers were told a man armed with a shotgun was seen inside the van, before setting it alight and fleeing down Union Street towards Laxton Reserve.
NSW Police released a photo of a man as part of the investigation. (Supplied: NSW Police)
Forensic investigators were at the scene to “glean any information from that vehicle”, Superintendent Despa Fitzgerald said.
She said no shots were fired despite earlier reports, although members of the public were threatened.
A helicopter seen hovering around the area. (ABC News: Berge Breiland)
One school was placed into lockdown as part of the response.
Police have described the man as Caucasian, in his 20s, about 160 centimetres tall, of a short build with shaggy hair wearing a blue T-shirt and long black pants.
Superintendent Fitzgerald said anyone who sights the person of interest should contact Triple Zero (000) and anyone with mobile phone or dashcam footage should share it with investigators.
‘Locked everyone down’
Police say officers responded about 10:20am after reports of a stolen vehicle in a car park. (ABC News: Berge Breiland)
Local resident Charlie was told by police he could not return to his home for a couple of hours.
He said his partner saw a burnt-out car and police in the street told her go back inside.
“They’ve locked everyone down in the street,” he said.
Smoke around gates at a property on Williams Parade in Dulwich Hill. (Supplied: Roland Tellzen)
He said neighbours witnessed a man in a stolen car before they followed him onto the street and then he “burnt out the car”.
The Transport Management Centre said light rail services that had been cancelled between Dulwich Hill and Lilyfield had since resumed.
NSW Police lifted the exclusion zone in the area about 2pm.
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Fri 16 Oct 2026 at 1:40pmFri 16 Oct 2026 at 1:40pm
That’s all for now
Superintendent Despa Fitzgerald has finished giving her update.
We learnt that a reportedly armed man is still on the run after sitting in an allegedly stolen vehicle, which was found alight.
She says traffic control authorities will assess the situation with the Light Rail closure in the next few hours.
Fri 16 Oct 2026 at 1:37pmFri 16 Oct 2026 at 1:37pm
Lockdowns in place
A Dulwich Hill school has been locked down as a precaution.
Police have set up a perimeter to search for the person of interest.
At the moment, some units are also locked down.
Some people who live in the area are being escorted back to their homes.
The traffic area is also locked down.
Fri 16 Oct 2026 at 1:34pmFri 16 Oct 2026 at 1:34pm
Van stolen ‘days ago’
The vehicle stolen was a van, police say.
“It was not stolen from there it was stolen a couple of days ago from the Inner West Area Command,” Fitzgerald says.
Said van was spotted in the last half hour by members of the public.
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