An 18-year-old man has made his first court appearance after an alleged shooting incident that sent a Peel region town into lockdown and triggered a major police manhunt.
Court Appearance After Alleged Rifle Attack
Zachariah Ugle briefly appeared behind protective glass in the Perth Magistrates Court on Wednesday, 14 January 2026. He is accused of firing a long-arm rifle at a vacant home in Pinjarra the previous afternoon, an act police believe was random.
The alleged shooting prompted an immediate and large-scale police response. Heavily armed officers, including the Tactical Response Group, descended on the area, ordering residents on several streets to stay inside their homes for their own safety.
Lockdown and Rooftop Arrest
The lockdown lasted for several hours as police scoured Pinjarra for the alleged gunman. However, Ugle was located not in the immediate search zone, but on a rooftop in Mandurah, less than a kilometre from a local police station and approximately 20 kilometres from the original incident.
Police had first issued a public warning about the situation at 11.40am on Tuesday, urging people in the area to follow instructions from officers on the ground.
The incident caused significant distress for local families. Resident Sara Spence told The West Australian her two children, aged 9 and 11, were left "a bit freaked out" after seeing what they described as "soldiers" in their street while she was unable to return home to them.
Charges and Ongoing Police Operations
Ugle has been charged with several offences, including:
- Breach of bail
- Being armed or pretending to be armed in a way that may cause fear
- Aggravated home burglary
- Stealing
During his short court hearing, he spoke only to confirm the charges against him. The magistrate remanded him in custody. He is scheduled to return to court on January 21 for a bail application.
This event marks the second major manhunt for an alleged gunman in Western Australia within a week. Police are still searching for Kenneth John Giles, 58, who allegedly shot a woman in the hand at a Mullewa property the previous Wednesday before fleeing into the bush.
