Man charged with 18 counts of shooting with intent to murder...

A man has been charged following an alleged shooting spree in Sydney’s inner west on Sunday night.

Artemios Mintzas, 60, allegedly shot “about 50” high-powered rifle rounds at pedestrians, cars and buildings in Croydon Park over two hours before he was apprehended by tactical officers.

Dozens of shots were allegedly fired from a first-storey apartment, hitting cars and buildings and injuring several people.

Mintazas was taken to hospital under police guard on Sunday for injuries sustained during the arrest.

He was taken to Burwood police station on Monday where he was charged with 25 offences, including 18 counts of shooting with intent to murder, and various firearms offences.

Mintzas was refused bail to appear at Burwood local court on Tuesday.

Acting Supt Stephen Parry told reporters on Monday that police had allegedly seized a single weapon – a 30-calibre rifle – from the man’s apartment above a business on Georges River Road.

“Some of those firearms can fire in quick succession,” Parry said. Investigators believed “about 50” shots had been fired, although forensic officers were still examining two crime scenes on Monday afternoon.

Sixteen people sustained injuries on Sunday night, with five treated at hospital, authorities said. Some people were injured by shattered glass as bullets hit windows. Others were treated for shock.

A man in his 50s was driven to hospital in a serious condition after the car he was a passenger in was allegedly shot.

He underwent surgery for a gunshot wound to the neck and was understood to be the only person to have sustained direct injuries from gunfire. Parry said the man’s injuries were non-life-threatening. The situation for the other occupants of the vehicle would have been “highly traumatic”, he said.

Parry said: “It’s incredible that nobody has died … it’s a testament to the tactical plans put together by our specialist police. In my 35 years in the police, there have been very few incidents of this nature.”

A nearby business owner said there was initially confusion as the early bullets were fired.

Aysegul, who asked that her surname not be used, was running the Croydon Park Kebab House next door to the apartment the gunman allegedly began shooting from.

At first, she heard two shots, but did not know what they were. Customers inside the restaurant continued eating.

“Then it was like nonstop bang bang bang,” Aysegul said, adding she could smell the live rounds inside the restaurant.

They called police who told her and her customers to shelter inside the restaurant, which they did until about 10pm.

The New South Wales premier, Chris Minns, acknowledged the “incredible bravery of the police officers and emergency services who responded without hesitation to protect the community”.