The Westmeadows Tavern saw squads of heavily-armed tactical police swarm the site in the early hours this morning, as two armed bandits were believed to be inside.
Police were called to the ALH pub in northern Melbourne around 5am, receiving reports of an armed robbery in progress.
First responders were met outside by a woman believed to be the cleaner, who claimed to have been confronted and held by the intruders, but escaped, unhurt.
The men were thought to be still inside the premise, which was otherwise empty.
The situation prompted attendance by multiple Victorian police units – Special Operations, Critical Incident Response, and a dog squad.
Police attempted to communicate via a loudspeaker, reportedly telling the bandits to come outside, and to answer the hotel’s phone to negotiate surrender. The requests met no response.
Further police forces arrived, including two armoured vehicles and two helicopters, and ambulances were present, on standby.
Soon after 10am more than a dozen armed officers entered through the front door and began searching the premises.
Early this afternoon a police spokesperson confirmed that after a five-hour search, the two men were not located.
The historic pub has reportedly been targeted in armed robberies several times in the past few years, contributing to the high-stakes response. The site holds several exits, with vacant lots to the north and east leading to surrounding streets.
It was central to the original Broadmeadows Village, founded 1850 on Moonee Ponds Creek. Named the Broadmeadows Hotel, its first owner was one of Melbourne’s founding fathers, John Pascoe Fawkner.
Broadmeadows became known in the 1950s as Broadmeadows West, and in 1963 Westmeadows, with the pub following suit shortly after.
