Pinjarra man in police custody after town sent into lockdown

A man is helping WA Police with their inquiries after a town south of Perth was sent into lockdown on Tuesday as officers searched for an accused gunman spotted carrying a rifle.

Police confirmed they had found 18-year-old Zachariah Ugle just before 5pm. He had been missing for about seven hours, after allegedly first attracting police attention around 9.30am on Tuesday.

Police were called about a man allegedly acting suspiciously at a house on Pollard Street, and it was later reported the same man was again seen on CCTV at 10.10am in a backyard.

Police said he appeared to be holding a long-armed rifle, and it was alleged a “projectile may have been discharged” at the house. No one was home at the time.

The alleged gunshot sent parts of Pinjarra into lockdown, with helicopter vision showing officers scouring the region, as well as heavily armed police descending on a house in the town’s north-west.

In a press conference before Ugle was located by police, Mandurah District Acting Superintendent Darren Hart said the 18-year-old was a local man, and was not a registered firearms owner.

“There is no ongoing threat to public safety,” a WA Police spokeswoman said after Ugle was located.

“WA police wish to thank the community for their assistance with this investigation.”

Search is second major gunman hunt in a week

The incident is the second firearms-related police operation in the past week, with Kenneth Giles still on the run after allegedly shooting a woman, believed to be his partner, in the hand on Wednesday.

That incident occurred in Mullewa, an agricultural town in the state’s Mid West region.

The experienced bushman has so far evaded significant police resources deployed to find him.

On Monday, Acting Superintendent Ben Huggett issued a fresh plea for Giles to hand himself in, reassuring him that only one person was injured in the event.

“I urge you to contact police so we can sort this out,” he said.

“This has gone on long enough, you must be uncomfortable out there, you must be anxious.”

Huggett said on Monday police believed Giles was still in the Mid West region.