NSW State Coroner Teresa O'Sullivan has made a rare public statement after confirming the state recorded the highest number of Indigenous deaths in custody in a single year.

She revealed 12 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people died in custody so far this year — a figure she said was a "profoundly distressing milestone".

"These are not mere statistics," she said in a statement today.

READ MORE: Renewed search for missing boy Gus to be 'restricted' by extreme heat

"Each of these deaths represents a person whose life mattered and whose loss is felt deeply by families, loved ones and communities across the state.

"They are individuals whose deaths demand independent and careful scrutiny, respect and accountability."

The Aboriginal Legal Service said it was a "horrifying record", adding that an additional four Indigenous people have died in police operations.

"This is a crisis and a preventable tragedy that should deeply alarm everyone in NSW," Aboriginal Legal Service NSW/ACT chief executive Karly Warner said.

"A prison sentence should not be a death sentence."

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people make up only 3.4 per cent of the NSW population, according to the latest data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

But the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research found Aboriginal adults represent 33.4 per cent of the total adult prison population, and Aboriginal youth account for 60 per cent of the youth detention population as of June.

READ MORE: New figures show Australians are waiting longer to have children

O'Sullivan said the number of Aboriginal people in custody has increased by 18.9 per cent over the past five years, while the number of non-Aboriginal people in custody has decreased by 12.5 per cent in that same time.

She added that 45.6 per cent of the Aboriginal adults in custody were on remand or refused bail awaiting court, which was an increase of 63 per cent in the same five-year period. 

"These figures reflect the entrenched over-representation of First Nations peoples in the criminal justice system – a systemic issue that compounds the risks and vulnerabilities contributing to the rising number of deaths in custody," she said.

Warner attributed the rise to punitive laws and policing practices and called on the state government to work with Indigenous communities to implement real solutions to reduce imprisonment.

"Prisons are dangerous places," she said.

"The Aboriginal Legal Service has represented families of people who died behind bars of simple and treatable health conditions, and people whose deaths involved hanging points that should have been removed long ago.

"We have solutions to reduce deaths in custody, but too many are sitting on the shelf, gathering dust."

READ MORE: Union hits out at triple zero outage amid 'delays' to new system

The NSW government said it takes Indigenous deaths in custody seriously.

"We are working to reduce all preventable deaths in custody, including by improving design and safety across correctional centres, and have invested $16 million to make our prisons safer by removing ligature points," a NSW government spokesperson said.

"We are prioritising community safety while working with communities to reduce crime, the drivers of crime and towards our Closing the Gap targets regarding Indigenous incarceration."

An external review of Indigenous deaths in custody is underway and is set to make recommendations to Corrective Services next year.

O'Sullivan — who was appointed as the second woman to lead the Coroners' Court in 2019 and described as being "passionate about reducing the number of preventable deaths in NSW" — said she will continue to investigate every death in custody "independently and thoroughly".

"Inquests will be conducted with impartiality, transparency and cultural sensitivity, ensuring that the voices of affected families and communities are heard and respected," she said.

For 24/7 crisis support run by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, contact 13YARN (13 92 76).

Readers seeking support can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or beyond blue on 1300 22 4636.

Before dawn on the day an enormous flash flood that flattened a rural village, emergency services feared the weather bureau's warnings were inadequate and rushed to issue evacuation orders.

A flood described by survivors as an "inland tsunami" razed much of the village of Eugowra, in central-western NSW, on the morning of November 14, 2022, killing locals Diane Smith, 60, and Ljubisa "Les" Vugec, 85.

A five-day inquest is examining the circumstances of their deaths, along with the lead-up to the flood, weather warnings and scale of the emergency response.

READ MORE: 'Horrific': Woman, two children dead in house fire

NSW State Emergency Service zone commander Brigid Rice was woken by a call from colleagues before 3am that day as a rising river threatened the city of Bathurst and floods engulfed the villages of Molong and Canowindra.

"There was a lot for me to be taking in," Rice told the inquest at Orange courthouse on Wednesday.

At the same time, Rice was keeping an eye on data from gauges at Toogong and Smithfield, upstream from Eugowra, alarmed that water rises were "almost vertical".

"It was rising very quickly," she said.

At 3.49am, the Bureau of Meteorology issued a flood warning for Mandagery Creek at Eugowra, saying it was likely to reach a major flood level of nine metres.

But having seen water levels of 8m at the upstream gauges, Rice knew from previous floods that 9.5m would be merely a "starting point" at Eugowra.

READ MORE: Union hits out at triple zero outage amid 'delays' to new system

She said she felt the bureau's warnings were "inadequate" given the volume and velocity of water in brimming catchments after a night of heavy rainfall.

"I was of the firm view the nine-metre warning from the bureau would not be sufficient," she told the inquest.

The SES began preparing for a 10.5m flood, higher than the previous 1950 record that inundated 215 houses.

Knowing floodwaters generally took 12 hours to get from Toogong to Eugowra, Rice began preparing evacuation zone maps and emergency messaging.

At 6.12am a geo-targeted text message went out to Eugowra locals, telling people in low-lying areas to evacuate immediately.

The inquest has previously been told that the eastern side of Eugowra was generally considered "safe", based on previous floods, while the western side historically copped the brunt of floods.

READ MORE: Spider-Man suit found at beach property near where William Tyrrell vanished not linked to investigation, police say

Several witnesses have described people moving to a bridge in the centre of town, or to the eastern side in preparation for the flood, including Smith.

But after 9am, a sudden and destructive "wall of water" swept through much of the town damaging or destroying a majority of houses – including on the eastern side – and sparking more than 100 helicopter rescues.

Rice agreed that the SES evacuation message put the onus on Eugowra locals to self-identify as being in a low-lying area.

Since the flood, the western zone has changed the wording of its messages ensuring they are relevant to individual communities.

"In some towns heights are really meaningful, other towns years are really meaningful, in other towns gauges are very meaningful," Rice said.

The inquest continues before Deputy State Coroner David O'Neil.

DOWNLOAD THE 9NEWS APP: Stay across all the latest in breaking news, sport, politics and the weather via our news app and get notifications sent straight to your smartphone. Available on the Apple App Store and Google Play.

The Pentagon is telling beat reporters to sign restrictive new rules by today or surrender their press passes by tomorrow.

Virtually every news outlet is rejecting the ultimatum and saying they will not sign.

The Pentagon Press Association, a body that represents the beat reporters, says the new policy championed by Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth "gags Pentagon employees and threatens retaliation against reporters who seek out information that has not been pre-approved for release".

READ MORE: Controversial US commentator loses bid to enter Australia

In a statement on Monday, the association said that "potential expulsion from the Pentagon should be a concern to all".

Last month, Hegseth's press office outlined new rules requiring beat reporters to sign a pledge not to obtain or use unauthorised material, even if the information is unclassified.

Any journalist who doesn't sign the pledge, Hegseth said, risks losing physical access to the Pentagon — something that has been a standard part of Washington-area news coverage for decades.

ABC News, CBS News, CNN, NBC News and Fox News (where Hegseth was an on-air host for a decade) issued a joint statement today afternoon condemning the new rules and refusing to sign the paperwork.

"Today, we join virtually every other news organisation in declining to agree to the Pentagon's new requirements, which would restrict journalists' ability to keep the nation and the world informed of important national security issues," the statement read.

"The policy is without precedent and threatens core journalistic protections.

"We will continue to cover the US military as each of our organisations has done for many decades, upholding the principles of a free and independent press."

Beyond the big cable and broadcast networks, Reuters, The Associated Press, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Atlantic and NPR have all said that journalists from their newsrooms will not sign on to the Pentagon's restrictions.

Editors and reporters across all these news outlets have said they'll continue to thoroughly cover the US military, with or without press credentials.

Some well-known members of the Pentagon press corps have used the credentialing controversy to encourage tipsters to get in touch with them.

READ MORE: Renewed search for missing boy Gus to be hit by extreme heat

Even Newsmax rejects the rules

Some partisan media outlets have also raised objections: Newsmax, the pro-Trump cable channel and website, said on Monday that its reporters have no plans to sign either.

"We believe the requirements are unnecessary and onerous and hope that the Pentagon with review the matter further," Newsmax said in a statement.

The only media outlet that has publicly accepted the Pentagon's rules is One America News, a MAGA outlet that stands further to the right of Newsmax and Fox News.

The Pentagon Press Association said Hegseth and other officials have been "systematically limiting access to information about the US military" all year long.

READ MORE: Six killed as US strikes another boat off Venezuela

Officials have stopped holding routine news briefings; they have booted many news outlets from Pentagon workspaces; and severely limited where reporters can go inside the building without an escort.

Analysts have connected these impediments to Hegseth's well-documented disdain for the press and frustration with leaks.

The association said on Monday that "this effort has culminated" in the rollout of "vague new policies that, on their face, appear to violate the First Amendment".

While the policies were revised by Pentagon press aides after negotiations with news outlets, the updated language is still unacceptable to many newsroom leaders and media lawyers.

Possible legal action

Some news outlets are said to be contemplating legal action, but in the meantime, they're publicly stating that the restrictions are, as Post executive editor Matt Murray said on Monday, "unnecessary constraints on gathering and publishing information".

The association said Monday that the Pentagon's new language "is particularly problematic because it demands reporters to express an 'understanding' that harm inevitably flows from the disclosure of unauthorised information, classified or not — something everyone involved knows to be untrue".

Hegseth has ridiculed some of the media concerns and embraced the dispute on social media.

He claimed on Monday that the new rules boiled down to three tenets: "Press no longer roams free," "press must wear visible badge," and "credentialed press no longer permitted to solicit criminal acts".

He also responded to several outlets' statements on social media with an emoji waving goodbye.

Beat reporters responded on X by saying Hegseth was misleading the public.

The press association said "longstanding press access rules posed no national security threat, which is why those rules continued without problem for decades, across multiple administrations of both political parties".

Critics of the new rules perceive that the defence secretary's real intent is to impede independent coverage and scrutiny of the Trump administration.

The dispute is ultimately about newsrooms striving to produce "trustworthy, independent journalism to the American public," free of government influence, as NPR editor in chief Thomas Evans said in a statement on Monday.

"We urge the Pentagon and the Administration to uphold freedom of the press and the American people's right to know what is done in their name," Evans said.

Donald Trump has said he believes Time magazine "deserves to be called out" for running a "super bad" picture of him.

The publication revealed the cover for its upcoming November 10 issue, which features a photo of the US President taken from down low accompanied by the words "His Triumph".

The cover story explores how the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas could be one of Trump's defining second-term achievements.

READ MORE: Slain right-wing activist Charlie Kirk awarded US's highest civilian honour

As Trump returned to the US from Egypt after a world leader's summit on the Gaza war, Trump told his followers on Truth Social he thought the cover image "may be the Worst of All Time".

"They "disappeared" my hair, and then had something floating on top of my head that looked like a floating crown, but an extremely small one. Really weird!" the US President said.

"I never liked taking pictures from underneath angles, but this is a super bad picture, and deserves to be called out.

READ MORE: Trump's warning to Hamas as more dead hostages returned

"What are they doing, and why?"

However, Trump conceded the magazine wrote a "relatively good" story about him.

Time magazine has not responded to the US President's comments.

This week Trump embarked on a whirlwind trip to the Middle East to celebrate the US-brokered ceasefire and hostage deal between Israel and Hamas.

The trip came as Israel and Hamas are in the early stages of implementing the first phase of the Trump agreement designed to bring a permanent end to the war sparked by the October 7, 2023, attack.

DOWNLOAD THE 9NEWS APP: Stay across all the latest in breaking news, sport, politics and the weather via our news app and get notifications sent straight to your smartphone. Available on the Apple App Store and Google Play.

Exclusive: Nurses at the Women's and Children's Hospital in Adelaide say they are copping $65 parking fines just to get to work due to a shortage of on-site hospital parking.

Student nurse Anna* told 9news.com.au that it's costing already underpaid healthcare workers a small fortune, and putting them in danger.

"It's ridiculous, nurses are so important and they're getting all these fines, and it just accumulates," she said.

READ MORE: Sydney councils issue warning against Halloween decorations

"And a lot of the doctors, they have parking spots, so it's just really nurses affected."

The Women's and Children's Hospital has an allocated staff parking area but it's not even close to being big enough to accommodate all staff.

Some park in the hospital's public car parks, which can cost up to $20 per day.

But many are reluctant to park there, as it means taking spaces that could go to the visiting families of sick women and children.

The other option is to park on the street nearby, but most streets only offer two to three hour parking and nurses can't just duck out to move their cars.

"You're not even guaranteed a break, and you're not guaranteed at the same time every day," Anna explained.

"So what I found is that a lot of nurses are just copping $65 fines every week."

READ MORE: Veteran broadcaster Derryn Hinch hospitalised after fall

There are also safety concerns for nurses walking to and from their cars late at night and early in the morning.

"It's a safety issue for sure, especially when you finish at like 10," Anna confessed.

"Nurse burnout is real, and you're working really long hours, and sometimes your situational awareness before and after a shift is not that great."

A spokesperson from Women's and Children's Health Network (WCHN) told 9news "parking availability remains a high priority".

"We continue to consider options for improved parking solutions for staff and consumers visiting and working within the WCH," they said.

"Through negotiations with the City of Adelaide, WCH has secured 128 on-street parking spaces on MacKinnon Parade for exclusive WCHN Staff use (during permit hours) at a reduced rate to staff of $8 per day.

"Reduced car parking fees are also available for staff with key card access in the Medical Centre Car Park on Kermode Street."

READ MORE: Warning as bacterial resistance to antibiotics soars on Australia's doorstep

WCHN also negotiated with City of Adelaide Council to exempt staff from the two-hour restrictions on event parking around the hospital.

"Staff are encouraged to visit the WCHN Transport Office to obtain an exemption," the spokesperson said.

But Anna said not all hospital staff have been able to access discounts and exemptions.

She claimed the waitlist for discounted parking is long and even at a rate of $8 per day ($40 for a five day work week), the costs add up quickly.

"Most of the nurses on the ward that I'm on don't have access to it, they're still on a waiting list," she alleged.

In the month she's been on placement at the Women's and Children's Hospital, Anna has been parking a 20 minute walk from the hospital in a bid to avoid fines.

It's a long trek to and from each shift but she just can't afford to pay $100 per week for parking in the hospital's public car park, let alone $325 in fines (based on a five day work week, though many nurses work up to seven days).

READ MORE: Man charged after alleged carjacking rampage in Melbourne

Public transport isn't an option either, as there are no O'Bahn buses available that can get her to the hospital in time for her shifts to start at 6am.

"I'm only there for a month, so I can't imagine how full time nurses feel," Anna said.

"And it's a problem everywhere, at every hospital, you're maxed out with the parking situation, so you're forced to either public transport it or park on the street."

The WCHN spokesperson confirmed work is well underway on the development of the hospital's new carpark.

It will have 1300 spaces, nearly double the current number of on-site hospital parking spaces.

But Anna fears that alone won't solve the issue.

"There's too many staff members [and] honestly I just think that this problem is going to transfer to that car park," she said.

"Fed up" nurses started a Change.org petition in the hopes of changing things.

It calls for Adelaide City Council to introduce a free street parking permit for rostered nurses and healthcare staff at the Women's and Children's Hospital.

Anna said there has been a flood of positive responses from everyday Aussies who agree our healthcare workers deserve better.

"They're tired, they just want to get home to their kids, and I think it's really sad that either they've got to walk or they're forking out [for parking] when nurses are already underpaid."

*Name changed for privacy reasons.

Have you got a story? Contact reporter Maddison Leach at Google Play.

A motel owner in northern NSW has today described how a stabbing attack by a teenager left him fighting for life.

Mick Cikota, 52, was allegedly stabbed by a 13-year-old during a struggle at his Moree motel last month, leaving him with wounds to his arm and torso.

Cikota, who has lived at the premises with his family for 28 years, told 2GB's Ben Fordham he thought his "life was over" during the confrontation.

READ MORE: Veteran broadcaster Derryn Hinch hospitalised after fall

His ordeal began when five boys, aged from 11 to 15, allegedly broke into the motel.

Cikota confronted one of them in his 86-year-old mother-in-law's bedroom as the accused attacker held a knife over her, fearing he would "cut her throat".

"When I ran into the room, he had a knife over the top of my 86-year-old mother-in-law, and that's why we acted so quickly … I was fearing for her life," he told 2GB.

When Cikota wrestled with the boy, he suffered multiple knife wounds, and says he was "bleeding profusely" as his alleged attacker told him to let go.

"I thought that's it, my life is over."

READ MORE: Spider-Man suit found at property near where William Tyrrell vanished is ruled out

https://omny.fm/shows/ben-fordham-full-show/exclusive-stabbed-motel-owner-details-terrifying-attack-by-teenager/embed

Cikota said police and paramedics arrived and he was treated for his injuries before being taken to hospital in Sydney.

The 13-year-old boy was charged with multiple offences, including wounding.

He was later bailed by the children's court.

The alleged attack happened as the NSW government blocked an opposition push in parliament to tighten the state's bail laws.

Cikota accused Labor Premier Chris Minns and Attorney General Michael Daley of having "blood on their hands".

"They had a chance to change the law," he said.

"None of them had the guts to … keep these kids behind bars."

DOWNLOAD THE 9NEWS APP: Stay across all the latest in breaking news, sport, politics and the weather via our news app and get notifications sent straight to your smartphone. Available on the Apple App Store and Google Play.

Two Sydney councils have called for a green Halloween, urging residents to stick to environment-friendly decorations this year.

In a post on Facebook, Willoughby City Council urged people to keep Halloween "fun and wildlife-friendly".

"We love seeing all the spooky, creative decorations pop up in our neighbourhoods this time of year," the post read.

READ MORE: Veteran broadcaster Derryn Hinch hospitalised after fall

"But here's a small thing to keep in mind: fake spiderwebs, while spooky, can be harmful to birds and other wildlife."

The post warned that animals could get tangled in the decorations or even take them for food and eat them.

"Together, we can enjoy a spooky season without scaring off our feathered and furry neighbours," the post read.

READ MORE: Man charged after alleged carjacking rampage in Melbourne

Inner West Council joined the call as well, posting a video to Facebook.

Instead of synthetic cobwebs, fishing line, plastic rope and string, or balloons, they urged residents to use materials like straw, organic cotton wool, sticks and twigs, leaves and pumpkins, and upcycled or reusable decorations.

People in NSW cannot be fined or penalised for decorating their homes unless those decorations can be presumed to be offensive or a hazard.

However, littering certainly is an offence, so residents are advised to keep their decorations neat and clean up after the holiday is over.

DOWNLOAD THE 9NEWS APP: Stay across all the latest in breaking news, sport, politics and the weather via our news app and get notifications sent straight to your smartphone. Available on the Apple App Store and Google Play.

Disease resistance to antibiotics is rising faster than medical advances can keep up with, potentially putting billions around the world in danger.

The World Health Organisation's Global Antibiotic Resistance Surveillance Report found that one in six laboratory-confirmed bacterial infections that caused common conditions in people worldwide in 2023, were resistant to antibiotic treatments.

Between 2018 and 2023, the report found antibiotic resistance in people rose 40 per cent, or 5 to 15 per cent each year.

READ MORE: Joy, relief and jubilation as Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners and detainees given freedom

Anita Williams, from the Centre for Child Health Research at the University of Western Australia, said the findings were "alarming but not surprising".

"Thankfully, the proportion of resistance in Australian children is lower than global averages," she said.

"Whilst globally 45 per cent of E coli were resistant to 3rd generation cephalosporins, in Australian children it was only 21.5 per cent. For methicillin-resistant staph aureus (MRSA), globally it was 27.1 per cent, whilst in Australian children it was 13.6 per cent."

READ MORE: Whip-sawing temperatures to see millions bake while others freeze

However, she said, antibiotic resistance from bacteria in children was nonetheless on the rise in the country.

Professor Mark Blaskovich from the Institute for Molecular Bioscience said that the nearby South East Asia region had one of the highest levels of resistance at 31 per cent, which posed a potential danger of transmission to travellers.

"Particularly worrying is the finding that some of our more powerful antibiotics are being used more widely than they should be, meaning that resistance to these important antibiotics will continue to develop more quickly than it should, leading to their obsolescence," he said.

READ MORE: 'Warm and loving' teen killed on way to school was days from starting his first job

"This leads to the need for new antibiotics, but as outlined in another recent WHO report, the development pipeline for new antibacterial agents is sparsely populated.

"While Australia is doing relatively well compared to the rest of the world, it must not be complacent and should commit to funding research that combats antibiotic resistance."

Multiple experts noted that in countries with weaker health systems – usually poorer countries – the problem was, but that the current hyper-connectivity of the world meant transmission of resistant bacteria could happen very easily.

"Because about five million deaths were associated with antimicrobial resistance (not just antibiotics, but also antivirals and antifungals)," Associate Professor Sanjaya Senanayake from The Australian National University said.

"By 2050, this could reach 10 million deaths a year and have a negative impact on global GDP with global losses of US$100 trillion ($153.4 trillion)."

He and others rejected the idea that tightening prescription requirements for antibiotics was a catch-all solution.

"It is not just an issue of doctors prescribing antibiotics inappropriately. Instead, it also includes the vast spectrum of antimicrobial use not just in humans, but also in animals and plants, the use of the unprescribed over-the-counter antibiotics, the contamination of waterways with antibiotics, and the development of new antibiotics," he said.

"Developing new antibiotics, however, is not cost-effective for businesses, so they require healthy government subsidies to make it attractive for pharmaceutical companies."

Reece Pharmaceuticals chief executive James Graham said most antibiotic classes had been discovered between the 1940s and 1980s.

"This innovation gap is colliding with escalating global resistance, leaving doctors with fewer options and patients at greater risk," he said.

"Infections that were once easily treated now mean longer hospital stays, higher treatment costs, and, in some cases, preventable amputations such as those seen in diabetic foot infections."

Associate Professor Andreea Molnar from Swinburne University of Technology laid out the problem starkly, saying without effective antibiotics, even "routine" surgeries were "dangerously risky".

While multiple experts are calling for better surveillance and increased incentives from government, Dr Trent Yarwood of the Australasian Society for Infectious Diseases, said everybody had a part to play.

"Prevent infections by washing your hands, getting vaccinated and practising good food safety," he said.

"Only take antibiotics when they are necessary and only for as long as is recommended by your doctor."

DOWNLOAD THE 9NEWS APP: Stay across all the latest in breaking news, sport, politics and the weather via our news app and get notifications sent straight to your smartphone. Available on the Apple App Store and Google Play.

D'Angelo, the Grammy-winning R&B singer recognised by his raspy yet smooth voice and for garnering mainstream attention with the shirtless Untitled (How Does It Feel) music video, has died. He was 51.

The singer, whose real name was Michael Eugene Archer, died on Tuesday, according to a statement from the family.

The singer's family confirmed in a statement that he died after a prolonged battle with cancer. 

READ MORE: 'Little bastard done it': Dad's alleged bombshell

They called him "a shining star of our family and has dimmed his light for us in this life", adding that they are "eternally grateful for the legacy of extraordinarily moving music he leaves behind".

In his music, D'Angelo blended hip-hop grit, emphatic soul and gospel-rooted emotion into a sound that helped spearhead the neo-soul movement of the 1990s. 

Earlier this year, the Virginia native celebrated the 30th anniversary of his debut studio album Brown Sugar, a platinum-selling offering that produced signature hits like Lady and the title track. 

The 1995 album earned him multiple Grammy nominations and cemented him as one of R&B's most original new voices.

D'Angelo's sultry vocal style — a mix of raspy texture and church-bred fluidity — set him apart from his peers. 

That voice became inseparable from the striking visuals of his 2000 single Untitled (How Does It Feel). 

READ MORE: Two executives quit childcare chain in wake of ex-staffer's abuse charges

READ MORE: The sight off New Zealand that will thrill Aussies

The minimalist, shirtless music video became a cultural touchstone, igniting conversations around artistry, sexuality and vulnerability in Black male representation. 

The song earned him a Grammy for best male R&B vocal performance and propelled his sophomore album Voodoo, topping the Billboard 200 chart and winning the Grammy for best R&B album.

Beyond his own catalog, D'Angelo's artistry shined in collaborations. He memorably duetted with Lauryn Hill on the soulful ballad Nothing Even Matters, a highlight of her landmark 1998 album The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. 

He also contributed to The Roots' 1996 album Illadelph Halflife and was part of the supergroup Black Men United, which yielded one song: U Will Know, which D'Angelo wrote and co-produced, for the film Jason's Lyric in 1994.

D'Angelo was partnered to Grammy-nominated R&B singer Angie Stone in the '90s. The pair met while he was finishing Brown Sugar and bonded over their similar backgrounds: Both are from the South and both grew up in the church. Stone worked on the album with D'Angelo and the pair co-wrote the song Everyday for her 1999 debut album, Black Diamond.

Stone described D'Angelo as her "musical soul mate" to The Associated Press in 1999, adding that their working relationship was "'like milk and cereal".

"Musically, it was magic. It's something that I have not been able to do with any other producer or musician," she said.

They had a son together, the artist Swayvo Twain, born Michael Archer Jr.

Stone died earlier this year in a car crash. She was 63.

D'Angelo also has a daughter, Imani Archer.

DOWNLOAD THE 9NEWS APP: Stay across all the latest in breaking news, sport, politics and the weather via our news app and get notifications sent straight to your smartphone. Available on the Apple App Store and Google Play.

CCTV footage has emerged of a man pointing a gun at a driver before allegedly stealing a car and embarking on a crime spree in Melbourne this morning.

The 48-year-old man was taken into custody following a dramatic arrest involving tactical crews and an airwing after two alleged aggravated carjackings in Tarneit in the city's west and North Melbourne.

It is alleged the man was travelling with his wife when he walked into a convenience store at the intersection of Sayers and Tarneit roads about 7.45am today after the car he was driving ran out of fuel.

READ MORE: Whip-sawing temperatures to see millions bake while others freeze

He allegedly approached the attendant and attempted to take a jerry can to obtain fuel before assaulting the worker and leaving on foot, police say.

The shop worker sustained minor injuries.

The man then allegedly approached the owner of a silver Honda Civic and pointed his gun at the driver and demanded he give up the car.

The driver refused and ran into a nearby shop.

A Mitsubishi ASX wagon – which was stopped behind the Honda – was then allegedly carjacked by the armed offender.

Footage also shows the man as he allegedly pointed a gun at the driver's head before taking off in the car in Tarneit in Melbourne's west.

The driver was not injured in the incident.

Less than an hour later, chaos ensued in the CBD.

Acting Inspector Emma Lobb told reporters earlier that a police airwing followed the man as he drove "erratically" towards North Melbourne.

There, he allegedly carjacked another person at gunpoint and stole a silver Hyundai sedan.

"Once in the city he dumped that vehicle around Lonsdale Street, our critical incident and SOG was deployed and they've safely the secured the arrest of the offender," Lobb said.

After dumping the car on Lonsdale Street, the man headed on foot.

9News has obtained CCTV vision of the man smoking while appearing to carry a gun as he walked down the street.

Footage also then showed him appearing to point a gun at cops before his arrest.

Specialist and tactical members from the Special Operations Group and Critical Incident Response Team joined the effort to arrest the alleged offender.

A firearm was taken and the man will be interviewed by detectives today.

"This coordinated response led to the matter being resolved within an hour, and thankfully, no serious injuries to members of the public or police," Detective Senior Sergeant Luke Flint said.

"However, it must be acknowledged there were alleged victims and witnesses who will be significantly impacted by this.

"Victorians deserve to feel safe in their own community and we will continue to do everything possible to prevent crime from occurring and when it unfortunately does happen, bring an abrupt end to offending so no one else is harmed."

A witness told 9News the alleged offender almost hit pedestrians as he drove through the busy CBD at peak hour.

"Then he just was driving and almost hit this poor lady," he said.

"I had to run and grab her and move her out of the way."

Another bystander said he saw the alleged offender "waving a gun" before police swooped.

"I came out of the bathroom and then all of a sudden I see this guy in a maroon jacket sort of waving a gun at me," he said.

"So I sort of froze, looked at him, and then I just took off and I just ran out of the foyer."

One witness recalled seeing police draw their guns in response to the incident.

"I saw him coming out of the coffee shop as I was going in," he told 9News.

"I went in, got a coffee, turned around, and before I knew it there was felt like 20 police guns drawn."

READ MORE: Joy, relief and jubilation as Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners and detainees given freedom

Lobb said the man was armed but had "no intention" to hurt people.

"Yes, there was a firearm on the male however this has been recovered and there is absolutely no issues with safety regarding members of the puiblic," she added.

She said the man sustained injuries while being arrested and is being assessed at Royal Melbourne Hospital, where he remains under police guard.

The alleged offender's wife was not injured.

Lobb also praised police for their "fantastic response" to the incident.

No charges have been laid.

DOWNLOAD THE 9NEWS APP: Stay across all the latest in breaking news, sport, politics and the weather via our news app and get notifications sent straight to your smartphone. Available on the Apple App Store and Google Play.