Man allegedly hid in ceiling during Shepparton siege

A police officer sets up a cordon in Weddell St.

A man hid in the ceiling of a home during a siege that lasted several hours in a Shepparton street on Thursday, October 3.

Police went to Weddell St shortly before 2pm in an attempt to arrest a man who had six outstanding arrest warrants.

Police said the man climbed into the ceiling of a home as police went looking for him.

He then held police off in a siege that lasted until he was arrested a little after 4.30pm.

A section of Weddell St, between Swallow and Sobraon Sts, was blocked off by police during the siege, while a large number of uniform police and detectives attended the incident.

Police at the siege in Weddell St.

Shepparton man, Kyle Egan, 31, was arrested at the scene and charged with assaulting a police officer during the incident.

Mr Egan was held in police custody overnight on Thursday, before appearing in Shepparton Magistrates’ Court in a bail application on Friday.

Police cars blocked off a section of Weddell St during the siege.

In court on Friday, Mr Egan faced multiple charges relating to incidents between February and October.

These included making a threat to kill, making a threat to inflict serious injury, damaging property, three counts of reckless conduct placing a person in danger of serious injury while driving at police officers, dangerous driving while pursued by police, dangerous driving, careless driving, not displaying P plates, and two counts of committing an indictable offence while on bail.

All of these charges related to incidents on February 14.

He is also charged with not displaying number plates, driving an unregistered vehicle, and drug driving for an incident in July; as well as affray, and being a prohibited person possessing a silencer in two separate incidents in August.

Mr Egan is also charged with three counts of failing to appear in court; as well as Thursday’s charge of assaulting a police officer.

Mr Egan’s defence solicitor Megan McKenna said the man’s father had died in March and he had “disengaged” from court services, but that he was now “ready to deal with the matters before the court and engage with court services”.

Prosecutor Charles Moffatt urged the magistrate not to bail him, saying he was a risk of not appearing in court and that the welfare and safety of police officers could be put in danger if he failed to appear in court again and police went looking for him in the future.

Magistrate Megan Casey said she took into account the seriousness of the allegations before the court, as well as Mr Egan’s “experiences of trauma” while in custody.

She also considered that if found guilty of the charges, he may not be sentenced to prison.

Lots of police could be seen on Weddell St during the afternoon.

Ms Casey said the risks Mr Egan posed could be ameliorated by strict bail conditions, and granted him bail.

His bail conditions include that he comply with the Court Integrated Services Program and report to police once a week.