7pm: A man has been arrested at a public housing complex in Warrawong following a four-hour stand-off with police.
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Police from Lake Illawarra Local Area Command attended the Illawong Gardens complex, off Northcliffe Drive, about 1.30pm Thursday. Commander Zoran Dzevlan said officers intended to speak to a 26-year-old man wanted by police.
“Whilst at that location the male locked himself in a room and made a number of threats,” he said. “Specialist police and negotiators attended the location and shortly after 5.30pm the male was arrested without incident.”
A large number of police attended the complex, including State Protection Group officers. They set up an exclusion zone around the northernmost unit block, from which residents were evacuated.
The zone included parts of the neighbouring Westfield Warrawong grounds, which were cordoned off with police tape as centre staff and police moved on cars and pedestrians.
Update 5.45pm: Police have taken a man into custody at Warrawong’s Illawawong Gardens housing complex, ending a stand-off lasting more than three hours.
Earlier: A large number of police have descended on a public housing unit complex at Warrawong.
After speaking to witnesses at the scene the Mercury understands a man has barricaded himself inside a unit after police came to arrest him about 2.30pm on Thursday.
Police have established an exclusion zone which has centred around a three-storey block within the complex.
Witnesses say this block has been evacuated.
Parts of the neighbouring Westfield Warrawong grounds have also been cordoned off as part of the exclusion zone.
NSW Police State Protection Group are among those responding.
NSW Ambulance paramedics are also on site.