OFF THE WIRE
A MAN arrested by Coffs Harbour police as officers raided a residence and body building business in Park Beach will face court this afternoon.
The 34-year-old, with alleged links to the Lone Wolf outlaw motorcycle gxxg, is facing firearm and drug charges.
It's alleged police seized a quantity of steriods, amphetamines, an amount of cash, ammunition and a .357 caliber revolver.
Documentation and a computer hard drive were also confiscated.
Police say the man is also being questioned in relation to two violent crimes which happened in the city last year.
Coffs Clarence Crime Manager Detective Inspector Cameron Lindsay said the man may be linked to an armed hold-up, where a security guard was robbed of takings from the Park Beach McDonalds in January and a violent home invasion in Cook Dr in September.
"Investigations are ongoing and we believe there were other people who were involved in those serious offences," Mr Lindsay said.
"We believe this arrest and the subsequent search warrants are significant steps forward in these investigations.
Mr Lindsay said the firearm would undergo ballistic testing to assess whether it had been used in other crime.
Police executed the first search warrant at a home in a Prince St holiday apartment at 7.30am where the man was taken into custody.
The firearm, drugs and cash were seized before officers turned their attention to the Body Building Supplements store in the Park Beach Northside Shopping Centre.
Two balaclavas have also been collected as evidence.
The Park Beach McDonalds hold-up happened on January 10 last year.
A security guard was threatened by armed bandits with a small wooden bat in the car park of the fast food outlet after he collected cash around 10am that morning.
The gxxg made away from the scene in a Holden Commodore station wagon.
The violent home invasion, which is also under investigation, happened on Father's Day, Sunday, September 4 about 11pm.
Masked men set upon a family after accessing an unlocked front door to their residence.
A 41-year-old man was repeatedly hit to the head with a blunt object and left in hospital with life threatening injuries.
His girlfriend was dragged out of bed and attacked, before the man's son was chased down and attacked from behind.
He was knocked unconscious after he was struck repeatedly to the head with a weapon.
Witnesses say the intruders fled the scene in a sedan while looked similar to an older model Ford or Commodore.
All three victims were hospitalised and the 41-year-old was airlifted to Newcastle with skull fractures and cranial bleeding. His son received 26 stitches for two large wounds and the female was treated for bruising.
The man, who is assisting police with their inquiries, is due to appear in a brief bail hearing in the Coffs Harbour Local Court this afternoon.
Video: http://www.coffscoastadvocate.com.au/story/2012/02/02/man-arrested-raid-face-court/