By Mitchell Clarke
Two people have been arrested after a large police presence swooped on a Pakenham property.
Heavily armed police descended on Cameron Way, off Racecourse Road, at about 2.15pm on Wednesday afternoon, 21 October.
A Victoria Police spokesman said officers attended the address after receiving reports that a man had been threatened at the property by people known to him.
Police were heard using a PA system to coax occupants out of one of the houses on the street for about 20 minutes.
“Any occupants of number 7 Cameron Way, come out of the property with nothing in your hands,” the officer said over the speaker.
Officers eventually entered the property, however police say no persons of interest were located inside.
Those persons of interest were, however, located in a car a few streets away at Montclaire Court.
A short pursuit followed but came to an end when the wanted car hit a bus at nearby Broadhurst Road.
A woman in her 20s was arrested at the scene, but a man in his 30s allegedly fled.
He was chased by police, who managed to arrest him in a nearby backyard.
The dramatic arrest was in relation to the tense stand off outside the Cameron Way address.
According to a neighbour, an officer jumped over his back fence to get through to his neighbour’s backyard.
“I think they’ve come in from each side and have surrounded the joint,” he explained.
“It was f*****g full on. A dozen of them had their rifles pointed. They were prepared for something. They told the builders across the road to get back.
“I stuck my head out the front and they told me to stay inside for my own safety.”
The neighbour, who didn’t want to have his name published, said the scene had been cleared by 4.30pm.
“A detective did say to me ‘we don’t do this for nothing’, so they pretty much have said it was an escalation,” he explained.
“They must have been expecting something because they all came armed and prepared.”
He said the property in question was notorious for squatters, adding there had been a group of people living on and off for the last year and a half.
“It’s been vacant for about 20-odd months now, but the power and gas is still on, so it’s just asking for squatters,” he added.
“It’s not nice (to live next to them) because they’re not your upstanding citizens … whether they’re on welfare or have nowhere to live, there’s surely other opportunities for home and help.
“Illegally breaking into a house and treating it the way they do isn’t the right thing to do.”
The pair remain in custody and are assisting police with their inquiries.
