Chris Laing appeared briefly before the Ballarat Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday charged with multiple offences including assaulting and threatening to stab a police officer following the tense stand-off on Saturday morning.

Police had attended a Napier Street house after CCTV footage allegedly captured Laing breaking into the town’s post office the previous night before stealing an Australia Post tub and packages.

But when officers arrived at the house the 26-year-old allegedly lunged at a police officer with a knife before barricading himself inside.

In response, heavily armed police of the Critical Incident Response Team were called in.

Photos from the scene showed more than a dozen police officers and multiple vehicles lining the suburban street.

Hours later, Laing allegedly armed himself with several knifes and ran out of the house before police used a taser and managed to arrest him – six and a half hours after first arriving.

He was taken to Ballarat Base Hospital for a mental health assessment and was kept in custody until his court appearance.

A police summary tendered to the court alleges Laing said to a woman inside the house during the siege he had “done over the post office”.

He also allegedly refused to talk after being arrested but at one point said “yeah I did it, I wanted attention” while denying assaulting the police officer, according to the summary.

He did not apply for bail and will return to court next month.