A man has been charged after allegedly firing shots at cars on a major NSW highway.
The incident prompted a large-scale manhunt that ended with the arrests of two men at Kempsey, on the state’s mid-north coast, on Thursday afternoon.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Two men arrested following shooting.
Watch the latest news and stream for free on 7plus >>
A 26-year-old man has been charged with three counts of discharging a firearm with the intention to cause grievous bodily harm as well as three counts of firing a firearm in or near a public place.
He was refused bail and is set to appear in court on Friday.
The second man, aged 32, was taken to Kempsey Hospital under police guard.
NSW acting Assistant Commissioner Scott Tanner said police were not looking for anyone else in connection with the incident.
Police have yet to find the firearms involved.
“As part of our investigation, we will retrace where they’ve been and continue to search for those weapons,” Tanner said on Thursday.
“We believe there were four vehicles that were impacted by the gunshots and we’re just establishing the order of what happened.”
Officers were earlier hunting for the occupants of a black Mercedes dual-cab ute that was found abandoned in Port Macquarie following a string of reported shooting incidents early in the morning.
A tactical team, multiple helicopters and the dog squad were deployed during the search for the suspects.
Four incidents were reported between 1.40am and 5.40am at various locations along the Pacific Hwy in the Manning-Great Lakes and Kempsey regions, with separate sites under investigation.
A police vehicle attempting to stop the ute was fired at on Fernbank Creek Rd, while a male motorist suffered a bullet graze wound during an incident at Coolongolook.
The injured man was assessed by paramedics and discharged.
Tanner earlier said information suggested the incidents were random, with no links between the victims.
Investigators have appealed to the public for any information regarding the two suspects or any of the incidents.
Police also said a body had been found during a welfare check on Thursday morning on the side of Fernbank Creek Rd near the Pacific Hwy outside Port Macquarie.
Police are investigating but the death has not been confirmed as linked to the shooting incidents.
Tanner said police were treating the death as suspicious.