A man will face court after a spate of carjackings that ended with heavily armed police descending on a hotel.
The 48-year-old man will face Melbourne Magistrates Court on Wednesday.
He has been charged with possessing an imitation firearm, which he allegedly used in multiple carjackings, an attempted aggravated burglary, assault and threats to kill.
The Hoppers Crossing man is accused of going on as crime spree at Tarneit in the city's west, allegedly assaulting a man at a convenience store about 7.45am on Tuesday.
He then allegedly tried to steal a Honda Civic, before carjacking a Mitsubishi SUV.
The car was followed to North Melbourne, where the man allegedly carjacked a Hyundai.
The car was then dumped on Lonsdale St in Melbourne's city-centre about 8.45am and the man ran from the scene.
Witnesses watched as heavily armed police raced through the streets in search of the man, carrying what appeared to be a gun, before surrounding him at a nearby hotel.
A staff member at the Hotel Lancemore, who did not want to be named, said the man walked into the hotel and pointed a weapon at him, sending him running.
"It was such a fright," he told AAP.
The accused man was put in an ambulance with non-life threatening injuries after his arrest.
Detective Senior Sergeant Luke Flint said a coordinated response from police resolved the matter within an hour.
"And thankfully, no serious injuries to members of the public or police," he said.
It came amid attempts to get more police away from their desks and out on the street.
Fresh data revealed Victoria is enduring its worst crime surge in its history, including 5400 individuals arrested 10 times or more in the year to June.
Federal Opposition Leader Sussan Ley and senior colleagues will be in Melbourne on Wednesday after labelling Victoria the nation's "crime capital" in a local newspaper column.
"Police morale has collapsed, good officers are leaving and communities are left to fend for themselves," she wrote for the Herald-Sun.
The morning's headlines in 90 seconds, including calls for driving fines to go up, how a doorbell leaked politicians’ phone numbers, and a scary moment at a gorilla enclosure. (Source: 1News)
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