Police allege Brodie Cooper, 28, fled following the targeted attack involving his neighbours at Melton South in Melbourne’s western suburbs on May 23.

A 47-year-old man and 43-year-old woman were not injured and Cooper is alleged to have fled with other people before returning minutes later to get a motorbike and leaving again.

Heavily armed Special Operations Group officers teamed up with local police and arrested Cooper at a house on Windermere Street in Ballarat late on Wednesday night. 

He was taken to hospital under police guard for injuries unrelated to his arrest, police said.

Detectives charged him with multiple offences, including drug and firearm possession, reckless conduct endangering life and theft of a motor vehicle. 

Investigators had launched a public appeal to find Cooper, believing his "very distinctive" tattoo above his eye "would give him away".

The tattoo on his face reads “dead men tell no tails [sic]” in a mugshot released by police.

Four custody officers led a limping Cooper into the dock of the Ballarat Magistrates Court for a filing hearing on Thursday afternoon.

The court was told police had not interviewed Cooper and that he wanted to tell them his version of events.

He made no application for bail and Magistrate Gregory Robinson remanded him in custody to appear at the Melbourne Magistrates Court for a committal mention in September.

The highly trained SOG squad, which is based in Melbourne, is often called out to assist other police when apprehending dangerous suspects.