Arabic version: استمرار البحث بعد تهديد ببندقية في دولويتش هيل

According to ABC News, a man who allegedly threatened people with a shotgun after setting fire to a stolen van at a Dulwich Hill apartment block remains at large following a major police operation in Sydney’s inner west.

The operation began shortly after 10:20am on Friday, when emergency services responded to a van on fire. Police Superintendent Despa Fitzgerald said residents told officers they saw a man in the vehicle, which had been stolen from the nearby area a couple of days earlier.

Police said the man threatened residents with a shotgun as he fled the apartment block and set the van alight. No shots were fired. He was reported to have fled down Union Street towards Laxton Reserve.

Local public schools were placed in lockout, while police established an exclusion zone for several streets around Williams Parade for three hours. The search involved riot squad officers, officers in bulletproof vests, police dogs and the PolAir helicopter.

The man has not been identified. Police described him as Caucasian, about 20 years old, about 160 centimetres tall, of slim build and with shaggy brown hair. He was reported to be wearing a blue T-shirt and long black pants. Police later released an image of a man wearing a dark jumper, black cap and white shoes, but said his identity had not been confirmed.

Superintendent Fitzgerald said sightings should be reported to Triple Zero (000). Police have also asked anyone with relevant dash-cam, CCTV or mobile phone footage to share it with investigators.