Gunman on loose in Melbourne

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A teenage gunman has today caused the lockdown of a central Melbourne sports precinct, according to Australian media reports.

Heavily armed police descended on Melbourne Park this morning but three hours later, have still been unable to locate the gunman, reported The Age.

The Herald Sun identified the man as David Paul Rowntree, 19, whom the paper said had a string of convictions and "was once described as a devious and out-of-control serial offender".

Rowntree was last seen brandishing a gun in the vicinity of the MCG and the Rod Laver Arena this morning following a high-speed motorway chase during which a police car was rammed, said the Herald Sun.

Superintendent Rod Wilson of Melbourne police said earlier the gunman was believed to have fired a number of shots during an armed robbery at a service station in Bulleen about 3am, reported The Age.

He was also believed to have robbed a home in Balwyn and stolen a number of vehicles in the crime spree, before police pursued him along the Monash Freeway into the city about 9.40am, Superintendent Wilson told the paper.

Witnesses said the gunman reached speeds of up to 130km/h in a stolen car on the freeway and hit up to four vehicles, including a police car, before driving into the sports precinct, said The Age.

- NZ Herald staff