Police charge Australian fugitive father and son with murder
(about 9 hours later)
Father-and-son fugitives Gino and Mark Stocco have been arrested after an extensive manhunt in Australia.
A father and son who allegedly committed crimes across several Australian states have been charged with murder and other offences.
The men were arrested in Dunedoo, New South Wales, police said.
Police arrested Gino and Mark Stucco the morning after tracking them to a property at Elong Elong in rural NSW.
They are wanted in connection with several violent crimes and have been on the run for eight years, in a case which has gripped the Australian media.
The body of a 68-year-old man, believed to have been missing since last month, was discovered on the property.
A large operation to catch them was launched after they allegedly fired at officers 10 days ago.
Gino, 57, and Mark, 36, were on the run for eight years, relying on odd jobs and their bush skills to survive.
Police say a body has been found on the property where the men were arrested.
A large operation to catch them was launched after they allegedly shot at police near Wagga Wagga in New South Wales on October 16.
It is believed to be of a 68-year-old man who has been missing since earlier this month. The cause of death has not been established.
The pair were charged with murder, police pursuit, shooting with intent to murder, discharging firearms with intent to resist arrest and an array of other offences.
'Resourceful individuals'
Police said they expected to file further charges for crimes allegedly committed in other states.
The 58-year-old and the 35-year-old have, between them, previously been convicted of a series of crimes, including assault, theft and fraud.
Both men were formally refused bail and will appear before Dubbo Local Court on 29 October.
There were also several warrants issued for their arrest over alleged property damage, but the men had eluded police for years, relying on odd jobs and their own keen survival skills.
Police called them "modern day bushrangers" and, according to ABC Australia, "fairly resourceful individuals".
It is thought they may have changed their vehicles' number plates and their own appearance, several times, to evade capture.
Public warnings
New South Wales police said the men were arrested "following a covert operation involving officers from Western Region, New England Local Area Command, the Tactical Operations Unit, Aviation Support Branch, and State Crime Command's Robbery and Serious Crime Squad" and that no shots were fired and no-one was injured during the arrest.
The manhunt began when the Stoccos were accused of firing at police with a high-powered rifle during a car pursuit on 16 October, having failed to pull over in Wagga Wagga, New South Wales.
They evaded capture, only for the chase to resume when police spotted their silver Nissan again. Once again they eluded police before abandoning their vehicle.
The police warned the public that the men were armed and dangerous, and advised against picking up hitchhikers during the manhunt.
Two days later a local man reported his Toyota LandCruiser stolen, and the hunt began again, moving to northern Victoria after the vehicle was apparently spotted there several times.
But the vehicle again evaded police after being spotted on Thursday near the town of Castella, as it was travelling too fast for police to safely chase them.
Later that day, a vehicle of the same appearance and registration plates reversed into a police vehicle in St James, also in northern Victoria, during a routine traffic stop. After initially saying they did not believe the wanted men were in the vehicle, police later said they thought they were.
The two men were spotted several times again over the weekend, as they headed back into New South Wales, before they were finally caught by police and surrendered at an isolated location in Dunedoo.
They were being taken to the police station in Dubbo to be charged.
