2.40pm: New South Wales police release these images of the Stoccos soon after their arrest.
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2.30pm: The Stoccos were surrounded on a property at Elong Elong on Wednesday in what was a "covert operation".
Officers from the western region, New England local area command, tactical operations unit, aviation support and robbery and serious crimes squad were a part of the operation.
It is believed police received intelligence that the pair were hiding out on the property, or nearby, before officers surrounded it on Wednesday morning.
They surrendered with their arms up to the heavily armed police.
The pair were hiding out on a 385-hectare property named Pinevale, about 50 kilometres east of Dubbo.
Pinevale has numerous bushland motorbike tracks and horse riding tracks that Gino, 57, and Mark, 36, may have used.
1.30pm: Thirteen days on the run. The manhunt for the Stoccos covered much of New South Wales and Victoria before the police finally got their men.
Here is how the story played out leading up to today's arrests.
12.55pm: Victoria Police have just released this statement about the arrest of the Stoccos.
"Victoria Police can confirm NSW Police have arrested Gino and Mark Stocco at Dunedoo in NSW,” Sergeant Sharon Darcy said.
"Victoria Police would like to thank the community for their assistance as the information provided over the last week was invaluable to police.
"The multi-jurisdictional search further highlights our commitment to a “no border” approach to investigations within Australia."
12.45pm: NSW Police will look to prosecute on the more serious charges, stemming from them allegedly shooting at officers near Mangoplah.
However, they will also be quizzed on the ramming of the highway patrol car near lake Rowan in North East Victoria.
12.30pm: The Stocco search has dragged on for twelve days, crossed two states and captured the attention of the nation.
Take a look at the path the father-and-son fugitives have led police on since that fateful day of October 18.
12pm: Police media reports the Stoccos have been captured at a property in Dunedoo, 90 kilometres east of Dubbo.
The Stoccos have been on the run for almost a decade, but sparked a national manhunt after firing on police south of Wagga on October 16.
11am:
Police are investigating a Gino and Mark Stocco sighting at Hillston this morning.
The father-and-son fugitives haven’t been spotted in several days, with the last confirmed sighting at Gundagai on Saturday night sparking a large search of the eastern Riverina region.
This morning, though, they walked into the Hillston bakery and allegedly ordered coffees and salad rolls.
Donna Francis reported a sighting of the duo after they apparently ordered “two coffees and a couple of salad rolls” from the Hillston Bread Basket.
“I thought ‘oh my God, that’s the Stoccos’,” she said.
“I’ve been watching the news and I’ve seen what they look like ... I was concentrating on the father (Gino), whose beard was thinner than the pictures.
“They kept to themselves and I was hoping other people would recognise them, too.”
Ms Francis phoned police when the pair left the bakery.
Griffith police confirmed they searched the area after receiving a report about 6.30am.
However, the search returned no arrests.
Police again thanked members of the community for reporting possible sightings.
7.30pm:
Heavily armed father-and-son fugitives Gino and Mark Stocco could remain in the Riverina because they are familiar with the region, police believe.
Specialist taskforce officers from Sydney assisted local police in scouring a “large geographical area” around Wagga as the search reached its 13th day on Tuesday.
While police have implored the “modern day bushrangers” to offer a surrender plan to ensure they are taken “without incident”, officers believe the duo – wanted on attempted murder charges – could remain hiding in the area they have worked their way through.
Full story here: http://bit.ly/1RbBG7j
3.30pm: None-too-surprisingly, social media has joined in on the commentary, and the results are… well, see for yourself.
In a society where everything happens fast and results are expected now, the manhunt has fascinated millions across the country – and now it’s the inspiration behind a satirical Facebook page celebrating the Stoccos’ evasion tactics, Gino & Mark Stocco - 2015 Australian Hide & Seek Champions.
Click on the image below to look at a selection of some of the social media reaction to the manhunt for two of Australia’s most wanted men.
1.40pm: Superintendent Bob Noble: “Today we have a few extra police from Sydney, some tactical police and some extra highway patrol staff, and some other assets in town to assist us.
“At the present time we are continuing our tasking proactively, chasing down a number of lines of inquiry coming to us via Crime Stoppers and other channels and we’d just like to encourage that information flow to continue … no matter how obscure it may seem, we will relentlessly follow down.”
1.33pm: Superintendent Bob Noble:
“We have quite vigorously examined the circumstances surrounding those (reports and) at this stage they appear not to have been the Stoccos, (however) we’re not particularly dissuaded by that.”
1.25pm: Police have urged the public to continue reporting suspicious activity or sightings of the Stoccos, particularly over the next 24 to 48 hours.
With so many resources available, the time to report is now, Assistant Commissioner Gary Worboys said.
“There’s no doubt that these two people, father and son the Stoccos, will make some sort of move and we need to be in the best possible position to do that.
“We certainly need the community to continue to be the eyes and ears and report everything that they see, no matter what time of day or night, either to Crime Stoppers or even to triple-0 so we can respond to that and try to bring this matter to a close.
“I just want to say that to date the community have provided us with an enormous amount of information … some of it we can say has come to nothing, and that’s fine as well, but what we can also say is that that sort of information is critical to where we go with this investigation.”
7AM: Wagga’s Superintendent Bob Noble has tweeted confirmation that reported sightings of Gino and Mark Stocco on Monday have been debunked after investigations by police.
A large police contingent, comprising officers from Wagga and Albury local area commands, were assisted by PolAir as a search was conducted on two properties at Book Book, near Tarcutta, on Monday.
That search wound up around 3pm.
Around the same time, 200 kilometres away, police from the Griffith local area command responded to reports of a vehicle matching the description of the one being driven by the Stoccos was parked at a rest stop east of West Wyalong.
No vehicle was found during a search of the area.
MONDAY
10pm: A reported sighting of the Stoccos at a rest area near West Wyalong on Monday afternoon came just hours after a large-scale search at Tarcutta, stretching the manhunt from one side of the Riverina to the other.
Around 3pm, police responded to a tip-off from a member of the public that a white Landcruiser was parked in the bushes at the Marsden rest area on the Newell Highway.
The unattended vehicle was reported as having a white wraparound bullbar, black snorkel and modified, potentially stolen, plates.
A number of cars from the Griffith Local Area Command converged on the rest stop, 35 kilometres east of West Wyalong, but to no avail.
“The members of the public who had called police identified the ute as being very similar to a white Toyota LandCruiser the Stoccos have reportedly been travelling in,” the statement from police said.
“Officers attended the rest area but the ute was not located.”
More than 200 kilometres separated the locations of Monday’s reported sightings. Police were unable to find any evidence confirming the two wanted men had been in the Tarcutta area, the statement said.
Assistant Commissioner Gary Worboys, Southern Region Commander, reminded members of the public to be vigilant and to contact police immediately if they see the Stoccos.
“These men are armed and dangerous, so anyone who sees them should contact police immediately,” Assistant Commissioner Worboys said.
“We want to thank members of the public for their information to date and encourage them to continue providing it.”
Strike Force Kalkadoon has been formed to search for the Stoccos in NSW, with investigators working alongside their Victorian counterparts.
6.40pm:
Reporter Brodie Owen filed this report a short time ago.
***
As warrants for the Stoccos’ arrest on attempted murder charges were formally approved in Wagga Local Court, police scoured opposite ends of the Riverina to no avail.
With the search now entering its 12th day, it is clear frustrations are boiling over.
But Marc Greening, whose Book Book property was searched on Monday afternoon, is confident the fugitives will eventually be caught.
“You’ve got to have full faith the police are doing all they can,” he said.
“They are obviously going to the areas they know well … let’s hope the police catch them before somebody gets hurt.”
It is understood the Stoccos worked in the Book Book area for at least two months.
Just hours after the Book Book sighting, police were alerted to a possible sighting at a rest stop in West Wyalong, but it was also a false alarm.
NSW Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione yesterday weighed into the saga and said the Stoccos had “gone past the point of no return”.
“It’s time to stop, give yourself up and let us deal with what you’ve done,” he said.
4.15pm:
3.15pm: Assistant Commissioner Rick Nugent has held a press-conference at Wangaratta regarding the latest developments of the manhunt.
“We are still getting very good information from the public, and we act on that information as soon as we get it,” Nugent said.
“We do understand there was an unconfirmed sighting today at Tarcutta earlier today. New South Wales Police will continue to investigate that and we will deploy our resources as needed around the Border and the North East of Victoria.
“As with any operation of this nature we continually asses our deployments and our operational plans and base that on the intelligence we recieve.
“The last confirmed sighting was Saturday night at 9pm at Gundagai, it’s now Monday.
“If information suggests this operation continues in a different direction we will consider winding back the operation here (Wangaratta).”
The Assistant Commissioner said police on both sides of the border understand the pair are running low on money.
“It appears they are operating alone, father and son together in the vehicle. we know they drove off without paying for fuel recently,” Nugent said.
“We do believe they are running out of money and that they are not getting support from others, however, do not discount that entirely and we continue to investigate it.
“Our intelligence suggests that if they are running out of money and they will attempt to gain food and other supplies by stealing them covertly.”
Nugent addressed the issue of the mounting cost of the manhunt.
“We do capture all of our associated costs and resources, that will all be evaluated at the end of the operation,” he said.
Police said information did not suggest the pair had moved back into Victoria at this stage but their pattern suggests they frequently do cross the border
“We do believe they are armed and they do have ammunition. Whether or not they have secreted some of those weapons or ammunition in other places, we cannot confirm that,” Nugent said.
Any members of the public were again urged not to approach the men if they saw them and to contact triple-0 with any information.
“If you see a suspect vehicle you believe is the Stoccos, please not the number plate, please send that through to us,” Nugent said.
“Also anybody who owns a property in the area, please lock up all vehicles and keys to those vehicles.”
3pm: Police have scaled back their search efforts this afternoon for now. With a vehicle on a property not turning out to be that of the Stoccos.
A property owner near Pulletop has told the Advertiser the Stoccos used to work in the area police are currently searching.
The source said the Stoccos worked on a property called "Wandoo" for two months.
It is understood police converged on this farm and another nearby farm earlier this afternoon.
2.40pm: Police and PolAir are performing a sweep of a property near Aeroplane Hill. There are no signs of a vehicle on the property so far.
2.25pm: The state’s police commissioner has urged the Stoccos to give up, saying they are past the point of no return, The Sydney Morning Herald reports.
"You've gone past the point of no return," Commissioner Andrew Scipione said.
"It's time to stop, give yourself up and let us deal with what it is you've done. This has gone far enough. It's time to come in and talk to us."
2.05pm: It is understood a tip-off came from a truck driver who saw the white Landcruiser with South Australian plates and two men, who matched the description of the Stoccos, on board south of Aeroplane Hill.
1.50pm: A press conference that was scheduled for 2pm at Wagga Police Station has been postponed pending investigation of the potential sighting at Kyeamba, south of Wagga.
1.45pm: It is believed PolAir has been asked to target a specific area north of Holbrook.
It is understood it will concentrate on two properties.
1.20pm: Units are being dispatched across the border between New South Wales and Victoria.
12.55pm: Police report possible sighting of Stoccos heading south from Holbrook towards Albury.
Wagga police confirmed officers are responding to the Hume Highway near Kyeamba.
It is understood a large contingent of police vehicles, including highway patrol, general duties wagons and motorcycles, are on the way to the area.
11.30am
Victorian police have released a map of all confirmed and possible sightings of the Stoccos to date.
10.30am: Police have quashed rumours Mark and Gino Stocco robbed the Gumly service station overnight.
Superintendent Bob Noble has reissued calls for members of the public to keep their eyes and ears open for the Stoccos.
The men are considered armed and dangerous and should not be approached if they or the ute they are believed to be travelling is sighted.
Anyone who spots the pair should call triple-0 immediately.
8.30am: There have been a number of possible Stocco sightings in and around Wagga circulating on social media overnight.
A number of comments on a post by the Wagga Local Area Command indicate residents of the city reported a number of sightings of the stolen Landcruiser Mark and Gino Stocco are believed to be travelling in.
The Wagga police post appealed to the public for information following the spotting of the vehicle and men fuelling up in Gundagai before driving off without paying on Saturday night.
The post quickly gathered a response, with almost 200 comments and 420 shares.
Among those were people sharing their sightings, and what they had reported to police, including a potential one at Ladysmith earlier in the afternoon.
One woman mentioned a sighting on Elizabeth Avenue, Forest Hill, around 8.10pm. The vehicle was allegedly bearing blue and white registration plates. The Stoccos are believed to be in possession of two sets of Victorian plates as well as one each of NSW and South Australia.
Another woman posted that police had been notified after the vehicle was possible spotted driving on the Sturt Highway past Wagga’s Farmers Home Hotel at 9.30pm.
SUNDAY:
4.20pm:
Police have released an image depicting what appears to be the white land cruiser spotted at South Gundagai.
4pm:
Wagga police crime manager Detective Inspector Darren Cloake has urged the Riverina community to be the “eyes and ears” of law enforcement.
It comes as police reveal they will lay attempted murder charges against fugitives Gino and Mark Stocco.
The duo were earlier this morning apparently cited at a South Gundagai service station overnight – filling up with 145 litres of fuel.
Detective Inspector Cloake said it gives the Stoccos a driving range of potentially 800 kilometres.
There was an unconfirmed sighting of the pair at Ladysmith this morning, sparking a search, but he said a confirmed sighting of the pair would unlock significant police resources including the police air wing.
“The community in this case are our eyes and ears and we do implore members of the community to keep vigilant,” Detective Inspector Cloake said.
“We’re asking farmers rural land shooters, fishers … if they do come across known stores, or places where these people are storing closing or food, to bring that information to us.
“All sightings will be treated as legitimate.”
3pm:
Police will bring an attempted murder charge against father and son fugitives Gino and Mark Stocco.
At a press conference Sunday afternoon, Wagga police crime manager, Detective Inspector Darren Cloake, said the shooting near Mangoplah last week could have been fatal.
“Obviously one of the projectiles when through the front of the police motor vehicle. It was fortunate the projectiles deflected off one of the internal brackets inside the car because it would have been fatal,” he told reporters.
“Certainly in the second shooting incident a number of firearm cartigages were fired – at least four – in the direction of police.
“It’s only because the police were able to evade that there weren’t further tragic circumstances.”
12.30pm:
Wagga police will address the media later today after a possible sighting of fugitives Gino and Mark Stocco in Gundagai.
Crime manager, Detective Inspector Darren Cloake, will hold a press conference at 2.30pm outside Wagga police station.
11.40am:
Sources have told the Advertiser the Stoccos apparently fled down the Gocup Road late last night after a Gundagai sighting.
Police were door-knocking local businesses in Tumut last night asking for CCTV footage. Police also distributed flyers about the Stoccos.
Sources say there is currently minimal police presence in Tumut.
11am:
Gundagai mayor Abb McAlister says it is “worrying” fugitives Gino and Mark Stocco could have been sighted in his town.
“It’s a worrying thing,” he said.
“They are a very elusive pair … always managing to avoid the police net. We need to keep an eye out and be on alert.”
10am:
The manhunt for father and son fugitives Gino and Mark Stocco has reverted back to the Riverina after a possible sighting of the duo's stolen land cruiser on Saturday night in Gundagai.
Police say the vehicle may have been involved in a petrol theft from the Coles Express service station off the Hume Highway in South Gundagai.
The vehicle involved in fail-to-pay incident has South Australian number plates S415 AZL, which has been previously linked to the Stoccos.
The last confirmed sighting had been more than 48 hours old, when they rammed a police car in the rural township of St James in Victoria at 2pm on Thursday. That was more than 320 kilometres away.
The heavily-armed duo have been able to travel thousands of kilometres over the last week across two states largely undetected by police on high alert.
Victoria Police have been investigating dozens of suspected sightings of fugitives Gino and Mark Stocco across a wide-swath of north-eastern Victoria.
The last confirmed sighting had been more than 48 hours old, when they rammed a police car in the rural township of St James in Victoria at 2pm on Thursday. That was more than 320 kilometres away.
The heavily-armed duo have been able to travel thousands of kilometres over the last week across two states largely undetected by police on high alert.
Victoria Police have been investigating dozens of suspected sightings of fugitives Gino and Mark Stocco across a wide-swath of north-eastern Victoria.
SATURDAY 11am:
SATURDAY 7am: Police are widening their search for "modern day bushrangers" Gino and Mark Stocco after a confirmed sighting of the father and son in Bairnsdale in Victoria's east.
It comes as police also revealed early on Friday evening that they have now confirmed the dangerous duo were responsible for ramming a highway patrol car near Benalla on Thursday.
Despite the Stoccos clearly going to great lengths to avoid capture - including modifying their LandCruiser ute and travelling hundreds of kilometres within days - Assistant Commissioner Rick Nugent said the "modern day bushrangers" will be caught.
"At the moment, we are hot on their trail and again, we'll need the public's help in apprehending them," he said. "Sooner or later they're going to get caught."
Investigators still believe the wanted men remain in the north-east corner of Victoria, but they have widened the search zone to include Bairnsdale, which is about 350 kilometres south-east of Yea.
He said the search is mainly focused on the area around St James.
"We did see some large amounts of kilometres driven by the father and son... but we also now see that they go to ground and they get active again. It's rather challenging," he said.
Mr Nugent said the sighting of the men at Bairnsdale was received by police on Friday morning, but it was not confirmed until 3.30pm.
Security vision captured the pair leaving the supermarket, but it was an alert member of the public who spotted them, took photos and notified police.
Mr Nugent said the men were still driving a white Toyota LandCruiser ute similar to that they had stolen in Holbrook after shooting at police at Wagga.
However, he said there were a few changes including modifying some stickers, an addition of an L-Plate and a new registration plate.
"They've put a yellow flashing light on the top of back part of the cabin, they've put an L-plate on the car, they've put a hitch on the back and changed some other features, decals and some other features on the car," Mr Nugent said.
""They are organised, they're cunning and they're working very very hard to ensure they're not apprehended by police," he said.
The Bairnsdale sighting means that the sighting in Glenburn at 9am on Wednesday was incorrect, police said, and casts doubt on the sighting by police at a checkpoint at 1am on Thursday at Castella.
However, the ramming of the highway patrol car near St James at 2pm on Thursday was committed by the Stoccos, police said, most likely in the same LandCruiser.
He said fugitive taskforce police would continue to assess the search areas into the night. Police presence has been increased in Yea, St James, Wangaratta and Bairnsdale.
Police are asking for the public to keep a look out for the LandCruiser, which still has white rims and bullbar, but could bear number plates that include BV70WP (yellow NSW plates), ZUE632 (blue and white Victorian), YHS085 (blue and white Victorian) and S415AZL (South Australian black and white).
They advise members of the public not to approach the men as they are considered armed and dangerous. Anyone who sights the men or vehicle is urged to phone triple zero immediately.
Friday, October 23:
7pm: Police are reassessing their hunt for a father-and-son fugitive after a confirmed sighting in Bairnsdale in Victoria's south-east on Wednesday morning.
It comes as Assistant Commissioner Rick Nugent revealed on Friday evening that police have also confirmed that Gino and Mark Stocco were responsible for ramming a police car near Benalla on Thursday.
Given the sighting in Bairnsdale, Mr Nugent said police were re-assessing the search zone and were still unsure whether the Stoccos were in the Yea region.
He said a passerby spotted the pair in a supermarket at 10.30am on Wednesday and security footage in the supermarket confirmed the sighting.
The Stoccos were driving a white Landcruiser with a number plate that had been stolen in Tumbarumba at 6.45am on Wednesday.
Slight modifications had been made to the decals of the car and an L-plate had been put up as an apparent decoy, but the bull bar and rims were still white.
"They've put a yellow flashing light on the top of back part of the cabin, they've put an L-plate on the car, they've put a hitch on the back and changed some other features, decals and some other features on the car," Mr Nugent said.
He said the search is more focused on the area around St James.
"We did see some large amounts of kilometres driven by the father and son prior to but we also now see that they go to ground and they get active again. It's rather challenging," he said.
Mr Nugent said the Bairnsdale sighting meant the sighting in Glenburn near Yea at 9am on Wednesday by a member of the public was false.
It is believed the men remain in the north-east corner of Victoria and the police presence in areas surrounding Yea, St James, Wangaratta and Bairnsdale will be increased.
Confirmed sightings
The confirmed sightings of the Stoccos are now as follows:
- Friday, October, 16 the men were involved in a firearms incident with police in Wagga Wagga.
- At some time between Saturday and Monday, a Toyota Landcruiser with the NSW registration plates BV70WP was stolen from Holbrook.
- The men were seen fuelling this same vehicle on Monday night at a service station in Euroa at 6.30pm.
- Between 6pm Tuesday, October 20, and 6.45am on Wednesday, October 21, three sets of registration plates were stolen from an address in Tumbarumba - ZUE632 Victorian plates (blue and white), YHS085 – Victorian plates (blue and white) and S415AZL – South Australian plates (black and white).
- The men entered a supermarket in Bairnsdale about 10.30am on Wednesday, October 21. On this occasion the Landcruiser was sporting Victorian plates ZUE632.
- Ramming a police vehicle near St James 2pm Thursday afternoon. At that time, the vehicle was sporting Victorian plates (ZUE632).
1.40pm
Victoria police just released this update regarding the Stocco manhunt.
“The search for Gino and Mark Stocco is continuing with police now focused on two areas of Victoria following the ramming of a police vehicle yesterday.
“Cobram Highway Patrol members sighted a white Toyota Landcruiser on St James Road near Lake Rowan around 1.55pm with two male occupants and noted the driver was not wearing a seatbelt.
“The police vehicle executed a u-turn and activated the blue lights with the intention to intercept.
“The white Toyota Landcruiser, with Victorian registration plates ZUE632 stopped in the middle of the road and with no warning reversed rapidly into the front of the police car, rendering it inoperable.
“The Toyota Landcruiser then sped off east towards Yarrawonga Road.
“The vehicle is described as a 2005-2010 White single cab Toyota Landcruiser, with a tray, white metal sides and was fitted with an orange dome light bolted to the roof and a heavy duty tow bar with a detachable hitch.
“The driver of the vehicle was described as 35-40-years-old, with a tanned complexion, slim build, fair wavy hair and a three day growth.
“Both males were said to be wearing orange high visibility long sleeved shirts with blue inserts.
“The registration plates on the vehicle were stolen between 20-21 October from Tumbarumba along with two other sets of plates, the stolen plates are as follows:
ZUE632 – Victorian plates (blue and white)
YHS085 – Victorian plates (blue and white)
S415AZL – South Australian plates (black and white)
“Police are appealing for the community to keep a lookout for vehicles bearing these registration plates or bearing the NSW registration plates BV70WP.
“The local communities in these two areas can expect to see a large police presence as search efforts and patrols continue.
“Police are yet to locate the vehicle the Stocco’s were last sighted in which was a 2013 white Toyota Landcruiser with a distinctive white bull bar and rims.
“Police are again appealing to the community to remain vigilant and report any sightings of either vehicle immediately.
“Police are also advising the community not to approach the men as they are considered armed and dangerous, anyone who sights the men or the vehicle is urged to contact Triple Zero (000).”
1.15pm
Police meeting with locals in Yea, who say they do not feel like they are getting enough information about the manhunt operation.
Police say the length of the operation is unknown at this stage. They have no plans of scaling it down.
Stoccos are likely to be monitoring radio reports say police and will be looking for a new vehicle, with local residents advised to lock up all vehicles and keys.
Police do not expect Stoccos to take hostages if somebody stumbles upon them.
1.10pm
12.50pm
Police say they cannot rule out the chance the pair have slipped through the cordon around Yea, however, they are still searching the area.
12.40pm
Police say their two main search areas now are south of Yea and around St James.
12.30pm
Police say they now cannot rule out Stocco fugitives were in different Landcruiser involved in ramming police car
11.20am
Police believe the vehicle last connected with the Stoccos features the number plate ZUE 632.
One of the guns the pair is said to be armed with is a .308 rifle as confirmed by NSW police after a bullet was recovered from a vehicle after their shootout with police near Wagga.
The ute that rammed a patrol car yesterday afternoon was stopped because the driver was not wearing a seatbelt police say.
8.35am
Police are heading to a white ute on Boxwood Road, to see if it belongs to the Stoccos.
8.10am
Police are again setting up a command post at Wangaratta as they continue to stop white utes that might match the suspect’s.
7.50am
Assistant Commissioner Rick Nugent said about the search for Stoccos "we will safely arrest them without a shootout"
Police have static units stationed around a 50 square kilometre area of dense bushland around the Yea area.
The police air wing is again patrolling the area.
7.20am
Police will hold a community meeting today at the Yea Recreational Reserve at 1pm to address the fears of the public as the manhunt continues in the area.
7am
There have been no credible sightings of the Stoccos overnight. The police Airwing helicopter conducted several sweeps of the region while patrols continued on the ground as the search continues for two of Australia’s two most wanted men.
October 22 – 5.20pm
Police ask units in the area of the manhunt to remain vigilant saying they are confident the measures they are taking are working.
5pm
Vehicle containing the Stocco pair could have stolen plates attached. South Australia S415HZL or Victoria YHS855.
4.41pm
A tow-truck has been dispatched to pick up the police highway vehicle rammed earlier this afternoon. It will be escorted to a secure location in Wangaratta.
4.28pm
The dumped vehicle in the Warby Ranges has been discounted as a vehicle of interest by police.
4.25pm
A Victoria Police spokesman has now told The Border Mail he could not yet attribute the current police search in the region to the Stoccos manhunt.
"We do have something going on in the North East, but at the moment we have nothing to confirm it to the search for the father and son," he said.
A further statement is expected out of the command centre at Yea later today.
4.20pm
Police have released the following statement regarding the incident with a police vehicle near Lake Rowan earlier this afternoon.
“Police have confirmed the vehicle involved in the ramming of the police car near Lake Rowan is not the same vehicle the Stoccos were last seen in.
“Whilst we can’t exclude the Stoccos were driving this vehicle, we will continue to focus our search for the wanted father and son in the Yea area.
“We will also increase patrols in the Lake Rowan area searching for the vehicle involved in ramming the police car.”
4.10pm
Police patrols continue near Wangaratta. No major news coming to hand in the last 15 minutes.
3.55pm
There is no activity at the Wangaratta Police Station.
3.50pm
Police are maintaining their current perimeters around the Warby Ranges. There is no confirmation the dumped vehicle spotted is that of the Stoccos.
3.25pm
Unconfirmed reports suggest a patron at the St James Hotel saw the four-wheel drive at the centre of the manhunt dumped in the Warby Ranges west of Wangaratta.
3.20pm
There are no police on the Hume Highway between Albury and Wangaratta, with the search area focusing on rural back roads.
3.10pm
Driver in the area is believed to be wearing a high-visibility vest.
The Border Mail understands a perimeter has been set up involving police from Wangaratta, Benalla, Cobram, Yarrawonga, Glenrowan and stations along the New South Wales border from Albury to Tocumwal.
A police helicopter is also in the air in the search area.
2.55pm
Police have ordered the abandoned four-wheel drive to be 'treated like a fatal accident’ in order to preserve its integrity.
Police around Benalla are conducting roving patrols.
2.35pm
Police have formed a command post at Wangaratta as reports confirm the stolen four-wheel has been found.
2.25pm
Reports suggest the stolen four-wheel drive that has been at the centre of the manhunt this week has been found abandoned near Wangaratta.
2pm
Unconfirmed reports the pair have rammed a police vehicle Lake Rowan in North East Victoria.
New South Wales and Victorian police are forming a cordon around the area in an attempt to corner the pair.
Noon
Police have narrowed their search area by about half following this morning’s sighting of Gino and Mark Stocco near Glenburn.
The pair were spotted heading north on the Melba Highway at Castella around 1am, and were followed by police.
At Yea this morning, Victoria Police’s Detective Inspector Ian Campbell told assembled the media that under no circumstances are officers to engage with the fugitives in light of “what happened at Wagga”.
A volley of bullets was fired upon highway patrol police in two altercations around Mangoplah, south of Wagga, on Friday.
Police said a shooting at a highway patrol car in Wagga during a random intercept had sparked the intensified manhunt. It was a desperate act by two men who might have panicked purely because they were fearful of being caught with weapons on them, Inspector Campbell said.
In Victoria, where police followed the stolen Landcruiser before terminating this morning, it will be up to the state police force’s tactical unit to bring in the Stoccos.
“Tactical police are on the ground, leave the tactical decisions and arrest phase up to those tactical police,” Det Insp Campbell said.
Investigators are confident the Stoccos have not made it further north than where they were sighted this morning, which has significantly narrowed their search area.
The search is being upscaled, with focus now very much on the Glenburn area. However, the terrain won’t help the investigation.
“It's very mountainous and there are a lot of tracks to search, so (the terrain) is making it very difficult,” Det Insp Campbell said.
“As you can appreciate the mountainous area that it is, the terrain, it is very very difficult. It’s frequented by logging trucks. There are a lot of four wheel drive tracks that need to be searched and looked at.
“The air wing are in to assist and will be conducting grid searches on behalf of (officers on the ground).”
Residents of the area are urged to conduct their daily business as normal, but to remain vigilant. There is no need for them to leave their homes, police said.
However, police moved to clarify that neither of the Stoccos are sporting beards, unlike in a widely-circulated image that was the most recent held by police.
Anyone who sees the men or the vehicle they are travelling in should call police via triple-0 immediately.
The white 2013 Landcruiser is believed to still be bearing yellow NSW registration plates BV70WP and has distinctive white rims and white bullbar.
EARLIER
from The Age
Father-and-son fugitives Gino and Mark Stocco have driven directly past a police checkpoint near Kinglake, but managed to disappear into the night.
The duo was spotted by police officers stationed on the Melba Highway at Castella. The officers saw the stolen ute drive past them north-bound about 1am on Thursday.
The police started to follow the ute, but it took off at high speed and given Victoria Police's new policy that prohibits dangerous pursuits, officers had to let the pair go.
"The police unit began following the vehicle, which sped off at a fast rate of speed towards Glenburn," a police spokeswoman said.
"A decision was made not to engage ... and the sighting was radioed through to other units in the area.
"Police lost sight of the vehicle, however still believe the father and son are in the area."
Detective Inspector Ian Campbell said police believe the Stoccos are somewhere between Yea and Castella, given police checkpoints north of the latest sighting have not come across them.
The father-son duo are travelling in a stolen 2013 white Toyota Landcruiser and are believed to be armed with a high-powered firearm and shotgun.
Police are spanned out across a 100-square-kilometre search zone, which extends as far south as Lilydale.
"The local community can expect to see a large police presence in the area today as search efforts and patrols will be increased," police said in a statement.
Locals are asked to report any sightings of the distinctive Landcruiser, which is still bearing NSW registration plates BV70WP.
Anyone who sees the men or the vehicle is urged to immediately call triple zero.
The Stoccos are wanted over a shoot-out with police in Wagga on Friday, and an eight-year crime spree spanning three states.
They were seen near the town of Yea, about 100 kilometres north-east of Melbourne, on Wednesday morning.
They have been linked to two farm fires in the pocket of rural Victoria that remains at the centre of the search for the pair.
Police sources confirmed to Fairfax Media that the 57 and 35-year-old had worked on and off on a farm in the Yea region previously.
They confirmed two fires on the Yea property that destroyed hay and machinery sheds were believed to have been linked to the pair.
The fires occurred within months of each other about two years ago, shortly after the father and son were asked to leave the farm.
It's thought firefighters found a trail of fuel leading to the machinery shed.
Locals, who wanted to remain anonymous, said the fires had ruined the property's owners financially and emotionally.
They said the fugitive pair, who helped with jobs such as fencing, would turn up at the property unannounced. Neighbouring farmers described the Stoccos as odd and said they were eventually asked to leave.
News of the suspected link comes as police stationed themselves in a 100-square-kilometre radius around Yea overnight on Wednesday, believing the Stoccos, who are used to living off the land, had hidden themselves in the rough bushland. Tactical police remained on standby in town in case of arrest.
Crime Command Detective Inspector Ian Campbell said on Wednesday night a number of sightings had been reported to police throughout the day. All had come from the Yea region, but they were yet to be deemed as credible as a sighting in Glenburn that morning, which sparked the concerted search.
A passer-by was able to recite to police a registration plate and description of a ute that matched the vehicle the Stoccos had been seen in since fleeing Wagga on Friday.
"The fact we haven't had any further sightings outside this 100-kilometre radius, we're reasonably confident they could potentially still be in this area," Inspector Campbell said.
The father and son have had warrants out for their arrest for the last eight years. Most relate to farm thefts and malicious damage in Queensland and NSW.
Police said a shooting at a highway patrol car in Wagga during a random intercept had sparked the intensified manhunt. It was a desperate act by two men who may have panicked purely because they were fearful of being caught with weapons on them, Inspector Campbell said.