Zachariah Ugle: Suspected Pinjarra gunman found by police after dramatic search involving TRG

A second country town in less than a week has been locked down over a frantic search for an alleged gunman with Pinjarra on Tuesday the centre of another manhunt.

The teenager wanted in connection to the latest incident was finally arrested late in the afternoon after being found on a rooftop in Mandurah, less than a kilometre from a local police station but about 20km from the main search zone.

Shirtless and seemingly no longer holding a weapon, the man was coaxed down from the roof via a child’s backyard swing set — having found himself 20km away from the main search area cordoned off by police.

Earlier, streets in Pinjarra were locked down and residents ordered to stay inside for several hours as heavily armed police searched for 18-year-old Zachariah Ugle.

Police had received reports of a man carrying a long-arm firearm in Pinjarra and of a shot having been fired into a vacant home, seemingly at random.

Officers searched the residential area around Wilson Road and Sibbald Street as the tactical response group made its way to the back fence line of properties along Teague Street, which backs on to a football oval.

A witness, who did not want to be named, described seeing a man run from a nearby property.

They said police had quickly swarmed the area as the search intensified into the afternoon.

“It was like bobble heads in the backyard. There were cops in every back yard,” they said.

“They’ve got every street blocked off.”

WA Police said Mr Ugle was in custody and was assisting police with their inquiries.

They had issued a first warning about 11.40am on Tuesday, urging anyone in the Pinjarra area to follow the instructions of police on the ground.

At the height of the lockdown Pinjarra mother Sara Spence told The West Australian she had been unable to return home to her two children, aged 9 and 11, who had called her saying they could see “soldiers” in the street.

“They are a bit freaked out . . . I really want to get home to them because of it,” she said.

A Shire of Murray spokeswoman said the shire had also “secured its facilities as a precaution” amid the police response.

That had included the Murray Aquatic and Leisure Centre, the Murray Library and the shire’s administration office.

The chaos in Pinjarra marked the second large-scale manhunt for an alleged gunman in a week after another man, Kenneth John Giles, allegedly fled from a property north of Mullewa, in the Mid West.

He is said to have shot a woman in her 40s in the hand with a long-arm firearm last Wednesday.

A police manhunt for Mr Giles, who is an experienced bushman, continues in the region, with extensive police resources allocated to the search.

There have still been no confirmed sightings of him.

The 58-year-old is believed to have fled the area in a white Nissan Patrol, registration 1BIY336. He is not a licensed firearms holder.

Police have issued another plea to Mr Giles to contact officers so that “we can sort this out”.

“This has gone on long enough. You must be uncomfortable out there. You must be anxious, which is why we want to help you end this safely and peacefully,” a spokesman said.

“We know that last week there was an incident where a person was injured. That person is recovering well, and thankfully, I can assure you, no other persons were injured during that incident, which is why we want you to come in so we can resolve this. We do not want anyone else to get hurt.”