A man is being questioned by police tonight after an eight-hour stand-off at a Port Macquarie McDonald’s store.
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Just after 8am today, police from the Mid North Coast Local Area Command were called to McDonald’s on the Oxley Highway after reports an armed man was inside.
A number of shots were fired but no-one was hurt.
Dozens of people were inside the fast food restaurant at the time and have since been interviewed by police.
About 50 people were evacuated from the neighbouring stores including two other fast food outlets and a service station.
Specialist police attended the siege, including the State Protection Group and Dog Unit.
Following negotiations, a Sydney man aged in his late 40s left the building at 4.20pm and was arrested peacefully by heavily armed officers from the Tactical Operations Unit.
The man and taken to Port Macquarie Police Station where he is being questioned by detectives.
A crime scene has been established and Forensic Services Group officers are conducting a search of the premises, as well as a car parked nearby.
Two firearms have been located and seized. They will be subjected to a forensic analysis.
The Oxley Hwy, closed for much of the day, has been reopened.
One man, who wished to remain anonymous, said he pulled up at the restaurant when he saw people running out.
"People ran out saying 'he's got a gun' and then I heard some shots being fired," he told the Port News.
He said he saw at least a dozen people running out of the restaurant.
The man said he spoke to staff witnesses on coach which was deployed to transport customers and staff to Port Macquarie Police Station who said the gunman appeared "calm and nice".
"One staff said the man ordered food and sat down to eat it - he seemed very calm and nice.
"Then he got up from the table and started shooting."
The source said the gunman's intention was never to hurt anyone as he told the manager to get everyone out before he started shooting.
Another man, who identified himself only as Glen, told Fairfax Radio he was having breakfast in an alcove of the McDonald's outlet when the first shot was fired.
"I'd just ordered my meal, and I was finished eating my burger and was having a coffee reading the paper ... and the first thing that I was aware of was a shot.
"What I actually thought it was, was a loud balloon going off, and I looked over the alcove with some other people and saw the guy standing there the gun pointing in the air.
"It was a small handgun, but I really just had a quick look, then like everybody else ... we just ran out the side.''
Glen said he stopped traffic entering the service centre, which includes a BP petrol station, until police arrived.
"I went outside, returned to my car and stopped the cars going into that whole service area,'' he said.
"Then when I realised that the police were there and they'd set up a perimeter, there was nothing I could do, so I left.''
For exclusive photos of the siege, head to the Multimedia section of this website.