Dramatic police raid on Porepunkah home as Freeman’s wife and teenage son are ordered to ‘come out with your hands in the air’

Details have emerged of a dramatic police raid at a Porepunkah address last night as cops continue to hunt suspected police killer Dezi Freeman.

Fugitive Squad detectives teamed with the Special Operations Group members converged at the property (pictured below) and told Freeman’s wife, Mali, and their 15-year-old son to ‘come out with their hands up’ at 8.40pm, neighbours reported.

Police cordoned the area and called out through an armoured all-terrain vehicle known as a ‘BearCat’ to communicate with those inside.

Neighbours were ‘incredibly shocked’ by the drama.

Mali and her son were interviewed then released pending further enquiries.

There have been no confirmed sightings of Freeman, 56, since two police officers were shot dead and a third injured on Tuesday.

The police chopper was back in the air above Porepunkah early Friday morning.

Daily Mail reporter Wayne Flower confirmed the chopper is flying lower than usual as the search enters its fourth day.

• It’s day four of the search and sovereign citizen Dezi Freeman is still on the run in the Victorian High Country
• Police helicopters have circled overhead, drones have scanned the treelines, and roadblocks have been set up for kilometres, yet Freeman has disappeared without a trace
• Locals are baffled, with some believing he may have dug a secret underground bunker in preparation
• On Tuesday morning, 10 officers arrived at the Freemans’ remote farmhouse with a warrant over historic sexual assault charges
• Instead of surrendering, Freeman allegedly grabbed a homemade shotgun and opened fire. Detective Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson, 59, was killed in the ambush. Senior Constable Vadim De Waart, 35, was also gunned down. A third officer was wounded but survived
• In a podcast six years ago, Freeman declared, ‘The government can come in and police can come in and raid your fridge and cook your dog, if you give them consent’

Anthony Albanese has offered Victoria Premier Jacinta Allan a ‘full court press’ to join the manhunt for accused cop killer Dezi Feeman.

It’s understood the offer includes deploying elite AFP specialist cops.

‘What’s occurred here is that we have offered the Premier, Jacinta Allan, every support that is required,’ Mr Albanese told the Today show.

‘And this is a full court press. This guy clearly is dangerous. He’s on the run and we want him caught and we want people who are traumatised in that northeast community of Victoria to feel safe again.

‘Porepunkah is a small community and this has devastated them. It’s devastated the families of the police officers who’ve lost their lives and of course, it’s devastated, as well, the entire police family.’

The Daily Mail and witnesses heard what were first thought to be gunshots at about 5pm on Thursday but it was later confirmed to be stun grenades – also known as flash bangs.

Media reported seeing a ‘big flash’ near a police chopper while SOG members combed the ground-level area.

A flash bang is a non-lethal explosive device designed to temporarily disorientate individuals by emitting a blinding flash of light and a deafening sound upon detonation.

Sunrise reported witnessing a police officer leaning out the side of a hut on a property with what looked like a machine gun.

The K-9 unit was positioned at the bottom of a mountain as police searched through outhouses during a ‘very active’ morning in Porepunkah.

Freeman’s housemate Fabio Zambelli (pictured below) told 10 News he was close to the accused cop killer’s wife Mali and their children who he said were ‘highly stressed’.

‘To Dezi, do the right thing for your family, give up, surrender,’ he said.

‘I’m not here to judge, but there’s a woman and kids under high stress.’

Mr Zambelli also described Freeman as a ‘professional, resilient bushman’, and that no one has had contact with him.

‘Mali, her family and Dezi and have been very kind to me,’ he said.

Mr Zambelli slept in his car on Wednesday night because the Freeman’s property has been declared a crime scene.

He urged police to bring Freeman in alive.

‘By taking him alive, will allow us to have a better understanding of the situation,’ Mr Zambelli said.

The Victoria Police Special Operations Group (SOG) chopper has just landed at an airstrip near Porepunkah as the search moves to mobile ground units.

Specialist police in armoured all-terrain vehicles known as ‘BearCats’ (pictured below) and the dog squad are moving towards bushland as the hunt for Freeman enters its fourth day.

Fugitive gunman Dezi Freeman sent an ominous warning to authorities that ‘they picked the wrong person to mess with’ and are ‘finding that out’.

The accused cop killer also said ‘Freeman’s the name freedom’s the game’ when he appeared on a 2019 episode of The Mike Holt Show – a podcast favoured by cookers and crackpots.

Freeman, who changed his surname from Philby, appeared on the Mike Holt Show to boast about his insane claim he successfully arrested a magistrate at the Wangaratta court in 2019.

The alleged murderer ranted that authorities used him as a ‘scapegoat’ after an issue arose about road access to Mount buffalo National Park.

Freeman claimed authorities were suing him ‘so they effectively get control of the mountain’.

‘They think I’m the weak link,’ Freeman said. ‘They picked the wrong person to mess with, and I think they’re finding that out’.