Residents living near a home that the Australian police raided in connection with the deadly Bondi Beach attack described to CNN on Monday scenes of chaos and fear as officers swarmed their normally quiet street.
Renato Padilla, who has been living in Bonnyrigg, a suburb of Sydney, for more than 25 years, said the street quickly filled with police vehicles as authorities launched a raid on a nearby house believed to be connected to the attack.
“From about 10 pm o’clock (on Sunday) until after midnight, police were asking people to come out of the house,” Padilla said. “At first only three came out. Then later, more people were brought out. Eventually, the house was empty. They were all taken by the police,” he added.
He said helicopters circled overhead and police vehicles continued moving in and out of the area. “It was unbelievable,” Padilla said.
He said he had never interacted with the family living in the raided house, who he believes moved in last year. “It’s a big family. The sidewalk is always packed with cars — kids, older women, pregnant women. People coming in and out all the time,” Padilla added.
He described the neighborhood as typically quiet and safe, home to retirees and young families.
Thien, 31, another resident who lives nearby and declined to give his surname, said he returned home late Sunday night to find his street swarming with police.
Fearing for his family’s safety, Thien said he took precautions he had never felt necessary before. “I used to open all the windows because I like fresh air,” he said. “But last night we had to close every door, close every window, and lock them all.”
The suspects in the deadly shooting were a father-and-son duo, New South Wales Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon said at a news conference. It is not clear who lived at the raided house and CNN has contacted Australian police for comment.
Thien said he had never met the family living in the home and described them as keeping to themselves. “I’ve never seen the father or son before,” Thien said. “Very quiet, always closed doors.”
CNN outside house believed to be connected to Bondi Beach shooting
CNN Reporter Rhea Mogul stood outside what is believed to be a house connected to the Bondi Beach shooting. Rhea spoke to residents who described this neighborhood in Sydney’s outer western suburbs as being a really peaceful community, and how this incident sent a wave of shock amongst its residents.
