By GEORGIA WESTGARTH
A MENTALLY ill man who threatened shoppers with a knife at the Dandenong Market will not face charges.
The 31-year-old man locked himself in a fire hydrant cupboard off Cleeland Street in Dandenong, about 1pm on Sunday 27 March.
Special Operations Group (SOG) police used shields for protection and tied a rope around the cupboard door handle to pull it open, before spraying the man with capsicum spray as he hid inside.
Dramatic images of the siege showed a large heavily armed police presence and Easter shoppers being evacuated from the area.
The man was reported to have been trying to shut the door while covering his burning eyes and was tackled to the ground outside the cupboard about 1.55pm.
Reports said the man was on his way to get psychiatric care at hospital when he jumped from a car and started the hour-long siege.
The man was taken to The Alfred hospital for assessment after the incident.
