Gumleaf
May 8th, 2008, 02:41 AM
16:50 AEST Thu May 8 2008
A man arrested over the shooting of a woman at Sydney's casino was wearing a false beard and armed with three semi-automatic pistols, police say.
A female fitness instructor was shot at least twice in the hip area while working at Sydney's Star City Casino about 2pm (AEST) Thursday.
It is understood the woman was working in the gym on level five of the casino when she was shot.
The woman has been taken to hospital and was in a stable condition.
Police said they apprehended a heavily armed 25-year-old man near the casino at the corner of Pyrmont Bridge Road and Pyrmont Street just after 3pm.
"He went to the fifth floor and there he saw a person he knew and shot her several times," Inspector Brenton Lee told reporters.
"He fled the scene here in the Pyrmont area and was captured on the corner of (Pyrmont Street and Pyrmont Bridge Road).
"At the time of his arrest he appeared to be wearing false facial hair."
Insp Lee could not say how many times the woman was shot, but he said the arrested man was carrying three semi-automatic pistols.
"There were a number of firearms it is alleged that he was carrying at the time of his arrest as well as ... several ways to disguise himself," he said.
The man had allegedly paid a taxi driver to wait for him at the casino, and it was not clear why he fled on foot rather than returning to the taxi, Insp Lee said.
Insp Lee said the alleged gunman's escape bid had created an extremely dangerous situation.
"This is one of the most dangerous situations I've run across in my career. I had the technical operations unit on their way to the scene," he said.
The shooting briefly held up a visit to the area by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd.
A man arrested over the shooting of a woman at Sydney's casino was wearing a false beard and armed with three semi-automatic pistols, police say.
A female fitness instructor was shot at least twice in the hip area while working at Sydney's Star City Casino about 2pm (AEST) Thursday.
It is understood the woman was working in the gym on level five of the casino when she was shot.
The woman has been taken to hospital and was in a stable condition.
Police said they apprehended a heavily armed 25-year-old man near the casino at the corner of Pyrmont Bridge Road and Pyrmont Street just after 3pm.
"He went to the fifth floor and there he saw a person he knew and shot her several times," Inspector Brenton Lee told reporters.
"He fled the scene here in the Pyrmont area and was captured on the corner of (Pyrmont Street and Pyrmont Bridge Road).
"At the time of his arrest he appeared to be wearing false facial hair."
Insp Lee could not say how many times the woman was shot, but he said the arrested man was carrying three semi-automatic pistols.
"There were a number of firearms it is alleged that he was carrying at the time of his arrest as well as ... several ways to disguise himself," he said.
The man had allegedly paid a taxi driver to wait for him at the casino, and it was not clear why he fled on foot rather than returning to the taxi, Insp Lee said.
Insp Lee said the alleged gunman's escape bid had created an extremely dangerous situation.
"This is one of the most dangerous situations I've run across in my career. I had the technical operations unit on their way to the scene," he said.
The shooting briefly held up a visit to the area by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd.