Who said Perth is boring?!?!?!?!?!

Xavi6

http://www.news.com.au/perthnow/story/0,21598,23560058-948,00.html

Fears gunman on loose at Perth's Exchange Plaza

BREAKING NEWS: ARMED police are searching city office block Exchange Plaza where a man police believe may be armed was making threats from the roof.

Dozens of armed police, including Tactical Response Group officers, have descended on 2 The Esplanade, fearing that a gunman could be on the loose.

More than 100 workers have been evacuated from the high-rise building at Exchange Plaza, in Sherwood Court -- which runs between St Georges Tce and The Esplanade.

Police are being briefed in the foyer of the building and are understood to be handing out composite images of the man.

Workers are slowly being escorted from the building, but many workers are still inside.

Police are investigating reports that a man had made threats against one of the businesses at Exchange Plaza.

The office of the Australian Government Solicitor (AGS), situated on the 19th floor of the building, said it could not comment on the situation.

An AGS employee, who did not want to be named, said: ``I cannot comment on the incident in our offices''.

Calls to BNP Paribas, which has offices on the 18th floor of the building, went unanswered.


One officer worker told PerthNow the initial reports from within the building were that there was a gunman on the 19th floor of Exchange Plaza.

City worker, Ian Thompson said: "I work on the 24th floor and went to go down to the 23rd to use the coke machine and the lift went straight down to the ground floor.

"The police were there waiting and told us to get out of the building. We weren't told why but people who are still inside the building have heard there is a gunman inside somewhere.''

Meanwhile other office workers remain inside the building and have been told by police to stay where they are, as police systematically search the building floor-by-floor for the reported gunman.

By 1.30pm, office staff continued to file out in small groups, and nobody is being allowed back into the buiding until it has been throughly searched..

Most of the workers were unaware that there was any reported gunman on the loose.

There were numerous police officers in the foyer of the Exchange Plaza.

One PerthNow reader trapped in the building : "I am in the Exchange Plaza unable to get out due to the lifts have been disabled and the stairwell is off limits.''


Perth Exchange Plaza building manager John Bennett said he was unsure as to whether there was a siege, or whether police were simply investigating threats made against someone in the building.

He said no-one had been evacuated but the building was cordoned off and people were not being allowed to enter.

Tactical response group officers were at the scene.

A stockbroker in the building reported the incident was on the 18th floor of the 40-storey building.

A spokeswoman for Victoria Petroleum NL, whose offices are on the 36th floor, said the company had only been informed that ``there was limited use of the lifts''.


Early report of city gunman

Police spokesman Sgt Graham Clifford said officers secured an area and were searching for the man after reports of an offender with a gun at 12.20pm.

Officers have marked off The Esplanade, Barrack St and William St.

Police said the man was on the roof of the building hourins the Perth stock exchange and commonwealth parliamentary offices.

One witness at the scene said she could not access her city carpark.

"There are heaps of cops, unmarked cars and plain clothed cops - stacks of them,'' the woman told PerthNow.

"They wouldn't tell us anything, so I'm just driving around and around. I can't even get into work.''

Literally two minutes walk from my office. Exciting stuff!

Some of the comments with the article are hilarious -

My apologies to everyone.....I walked outside and flexed my arms, and someone called the cops saying that a guy was walking around with two big guns.

The most exciting thing to happen in Perth since the construction of the Bell Tower.

Hes wearing a white hoody with the hood on, no shirt and yellow sunnys. ... Corey Delaney strikes again

YOU SAID THESE TELSTRA SHARES WERE WORTH IT! *fires gun into the air*

EDIT: Had to include this gem -

I hope you are all proud of yourself with your funny little jokes, My son is in that building and I can't contact him. All I know is he left 3 hours ago with his rifle and balaclava and now I am worried that some sicko is holding him hostage.

What a Friday!

BraziliaNZ

Corey's having a rooftop party, damn missed the facebook invite