Shocking footage has emerged of a tense stand-off between police and a knife-wielding man on the roof of a house.
The incident came as another man’s body was found inside the Tamworth home in north-east NSW, with a murder investigation being launched.
Peter Nielsen, 55, is accused of stabbing Richard Garland, 47, in the head before the stand-off on Saturday afternoon.
Police officers swarmed Mr Garland’s Goonoo Goonoo Road property at about 4.30pm.
After initially locking himself inside a bedroom, Nielsen then emerged on the roof, wielding a knife.
At one point, he ran across the roof to push away a ladder police were using to try to get to him.
He also threw roof tiles at the officers trying to apprehend him, who in turn used tasers and fired beanbag rounds.
Shocking footage has emerged of a tense stand-off between police and a knife-wielding man (pictured) on the roof of a house in north-east NSW
Richard Garland (pictured) was allegedly stabbed to death in a home in Tamworth
Feathers could be seen exploding from his puffer jacket, but Nielsen barely reacted.
Moving onto the roof, negotiators try to talk Nielsen into getting down, but as they moved closer he fled and fell onto the ground, where he was disarmed and arrested.
Locals spent much of the evening watching on from their own backyards and behind the police tape, as the man refused to come down.
The stand-off ended when he fell the roof, after a policeman armed with a taser and a riot shield rushed at him.
In a statement, the NSW Police said the 55-year-old man was treated for stab wounds.
‘Police secured a perimeter at the unit block with extra resources – including officers from Tactical Operations Regional Support (TORS) and police negotiators – called to the scene,’ the statement read.
Peter Nielsen, 55, is accused of stabbing Richard Garland, 47, in the head before the stand-off on Saturday afternoon. Neilsen is pictured on the stretcher
‘Officers were speaking with a 55-year-old man when he fell from the roof.
‘He was treated by paramedics for stab wounds to his chest before being taken to Tamworth Base Hospital, where he remains under police guard in a serious but stable condition.
‘Initial inquiries allege the two men were known to each other.’
No charges have yet been laid.
Detective Inspector Tom Aylett said ‘there were some circumstances yesterday that change that required us to initiate some response to make sure that male was brought down from that roof and done so safely’.
‘(Police) secured the arrest of a male that we’re going to allege was involved in the murder of someone else,’ he said on Sunday.
Police are looking into a range of motives, including whether drugs were involved and have located the weapon they believed was used in the confrontation.
‘Two men were in the house and something has led to one of those males attacking the 47-year-old male, causing those significant injuries,’ Det Insp Aylett said.
‘That’s certainly something we’ll look at, different lines of inquiry around history, relationships and a number of factors that was the motive behind it.’
After initially locking himself inside a bedroom, Nielsen (pictured) then emerged on the roof, wielding a knife
Police officers are pictured using a ladder to get onto a roof to try to get Nielsen down
Det Insp Aylett expects charges to be laid against the Tamworth man in the coming days after they speak to him.
He defended the use of non-lethal weapons, including a taser and beanbag rounds, to coax the man down when he began wounding himself before he fell.
‘We have an obligation to protect life and property, including his own (and once) he started self-harming with a weapon, we had to take appropriate action to make sure he was put into custody,’ he said.
Paramedics attended the confronting scene and treated the alleged offender for self-inflicted chest injuries, NSW Ambulance Inspector Tim Troon said.
The street remained shut down on Sunday as forensics and homicide detectives took over the investigation.
Detectives from the State Crime Command’s Homicide Squad are assisting local police in the investigation into Mr Garland’s death.
Floral tributes have been laid at the scene in memory of him.
