Two of Australia's most wanted men, a father and son, were caught on
Wednesday after leading police on a near two-week chase that riveted the
nation, with a decomposed body found at their isolated hideout.
The
case of Gino and Mark Stocco, on the run for eight years has enthralled
Australia's media since they opened fire on police during a car chase,
with authorities launching a manhunt across three states for the men
dubbed "modern day bushrangers".
Wanted for a string of property
and violent crimes, they evaded capture despite multiple sightings until
a tip-off led heavily armed police to a farm in Dunedoo, 345km
northwest of Sydney.
No shots were fired. Both men suffered minor injuries as they resisted arrest.
New
South Wales Police Assistant Commissioner Clint Pheeney said the body
found after the arrests was believed to be that of a 68-year-old man
missing since October 8.
"Overall, this has been a very intense
operation which has spanned a number of states," he added, as a murder
investigation was launched.
The pair had been criss-crossing
between New South Wales and Victoria states for the past 12 days, with
police warning they were armed and dangerous.
Pheeney defended the
time it took to capture the men, who were suspected of having
stockpiles of supplies and weapons along their route.
"If we look
at how these people operated and if we look at the expanse of country
out here, the number of roads that are sealed, unsealed, back roads,
forestry trails, these people knew the bush," he said.
"They knew the bush very well, they knew all the ways and times to avoid police."
The
men have yet to be charged but police earlier said they wanted to
charge Gino, aged 58, and Mark, aged 35, with 13 offences each,
including attempted murder.
Both men have reportedly spent time in prison for crimes going back at least as far as 2004, when Mark assaulted his mother.
Wednesday, October 28, 2015
2 of Australia's most wanted men caught - father and son duo
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