Police continue to search for two men involved in an armed robbery, car jackings and police pursuits in the central Shoalhaven on Tuesday afternoon and have urged anyone with any information to come forward.
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A 37-year-old man is in custody over the alleged offences, arrested following a home invasion in Nowra in the early hours of Wednesday morning (December13) .
Speaking to the media, Shoalhaven Local Area Command Duty Officer Inspector Deborah O’Reilly said multiple police resources were still searching for the two men who remain at large.
The two offenders, who remain on the run, are described as having dark complexions, aged in their early 20s, around 175 to 182cm tall, of slim to medium build.
“We do not have a lot to go on,” Insp O’Reilly said “but we have a number of resources in the field carrying out a variety of investigations.”
Read more: Woman injured in Jervis Bay carjacking
Police have revealed the arrested man is a 37-year-old from Sydney.
He was arrested around 2am on Wednesday after allegedly breaking into a home in Morton Parade, Nowra and attempting to force an occupant to drive him away from the scene.
“The offender had the occupant outside in their vehicle and was trying to be driven somewhere when police intercepted the car and arrested the man,” Insp O’Reilly said.
He was taken to Nowra Police Station and remains in custody, with Insp O’Reilly saying he was in the process of being charged with a number of offences, including armed robbery, car stealing and offences related to driving and a number of other offence.
“The man is known to police,” Insp O’Reilly said. He was not armed when arrested.
It is anticipated he will appear at Nowra Local Court later today.
The drama started around 5pm on Tuesday (December 12) when officers from Shoalhaven Local Area Command attended a jewellery store in Owen Street, Huskisson, following reports it had been robbed.
Officers were told three men armed with a firearm assaulted the store owner and stole a quantity of jewellery before escaping in an “alleged stolen car”.
This was located nearby in Vincentia a short time later but it is alleged the men car jacked two cars, with a 43-year-old woman injured during one of the incidents, after she was allegedly run over.
She suffered minor injuries and was taken to Shoalhaven District Hospital for treatment.
Police have dismissed reports of shots being fired during the incident.
“There were no shots fired,” Insp O’Reilly said.
“”It is still very early in the investigation and we are still trying to establish what happened – a lot of offences were committed and occurred.
“We had a number of police worked through the night and have had a number of new officers come on shift, taking over to work out what exactly happened.
“This is certainly an unusual crime for this area or anywhere around the country. It was a brazen offence and quite concerning. You would be hard pressed to find this type or number of offences anywhere in Australia.”
During extensive patrols in the area, police spotted the men in a car on Jervis Bay Road and started a pursuit which was terminated due to the manner of driving.
Police spotted the vehicle a short time later, following it down a bush track at Tomerong.
“The offenders dumped the vehicle, with one producing a firearm and confronting police before fleeing into bushland,” Insp O’Reilly said.
Police started a major search operation with a number of resources including local police, the State Protection Support Unit, Tactical Operations Unit, Dog Unit and Police Rescue.
“Several hours laters the group turned up again in what was believed to be a stolen vehicle at Tomerong and were involved in a number of pursuits in Nowra before dumping the vehicle,” Insp O’Reilly said.
It is believed the men split up, with one arrested in Morton Parade.
Insp O’Reilly said the two remaining men were considered dangerous and could be armed.
“We don’t know where they have gone but our investigations are underway,” she said.
“We have multiple resources involved in the continued search and we expect the incident will be concluded sooner rather than later.
“But certainly we advise people not to approach the men, and anyone who knows who they are to contact triple zero.”
People can also contact Nowra Police [4421 9699] with any information or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.