Melbourne siege: Who, where and what happened

CHAOS broke out in Melbourne's Central Business District yesterday afternoon when a man, armed with a meat cleaver, took a Malaysian restaurant under siege.

The 20-something man caused police to rush to the scene and evacuate those in the building. They then began negotiating with the man, who stood by the restaurant's second floor window yelling out his demands.

The siege lasted for more than an hour before police finally got the man to surrender.

Below is a rundown of the incident as reported by the Press on Tuesday.

THE PERPETRATOR

According to The Star, the man is a Malaysian who goes by the nickname "Panjang". He is apparently a frequent visitor to the 'Little Ipoh' restaurant, where the siege took place.

The man is believed to live in Springvale – a suburb in Melbourne – and has no family in Australia.

During the siege, he shouted demands wanting to see his mother.

In response, the police said they would contact the Department of Immigration.

THE LOCATION

The three-hour drama unfolded at Little Ipoh restaurant at 360 La Trobe Street, a major street in Melbourne.

The street is home to various types of public and private spaces, including numerous cafes and restaurants.

There are two underground railway stations underneath La Trobe Street which are Flagstaff and Melbourne Central.

The tram routes along the street are City Circle, No. 24. 30 and 43.

Traffic and public transportation - including the trams - had to be diverted during the siege.

THE INCIDENT

According to 9news.com.au, it was around 1pm when Victoria Police Special Operations Group officers were called to La Trobe Street in relation to a "male who was armed with a meat cleaver".

An hour later, police blocked the Little Ipoh restaurant as the man yells demands from the second-floor window. There were no customers during the siege and staff were evacuated from the building.

At 2.15pm, the man who had smashed several windows of the restaurant, was seen throwing a large pane of glass at the police.

Then some 15 minutes later, he puts on a pair of sunglasses and made a peace sign with his hand to the crowd outside.

According to news.com.au, the man came down soon after 3pm after police officers negotiated with him using a loudspeaker. He was then taken into police custody after exiting the restaurant. Police said the premises suffered substantial damage while the man was inside the restaurant.