A horror Saturday night of crime that gripped the Greater Darwin region with carjackings, ram-raids and car rollovers was worse than publicly reported, with NT Police failing to disclose that a car full of guns and ammunition was also stolen from Daly River and four people shot with crossbows in the community, while the suspects for all crimes remain at large, sources have told the NT Independent.

NT Police issued a statement around noon Sunday, stating that additional police officers had been deployed to help investigate the series of crimes that involved three stolen vehicles being used to commit five break and enters overnight, including ram-raids on businesses and another vehicle carjacked from a family in Palmerston, with the suspect later driving erratically on the wrong side of Tiger Brennan Drive colliding with an oncoming vehicle, causing a massive rollover that resulted in minor injuries.

But police did not disclose in the statement, or in a media briefing on Sunday, that a car loaded with four guns and full of ammunition was stolen in Daly River the same night, after the owners left keys in it while planning a hunting trip.

At least four individuals were also shot with a crossbow in Nauiyu on Saturday night, with the offenders still at large, sources said.

The latest crime rampage comes as uncertainty continues to linger over who is in charge of the NT Police, with the Fyles Government yet to confirm reports that Commissioner Jamie Chalker was asked to resign on Friday, and instead took “indefinite leave”, with Deputy Commissioner Michael Murphy placed in an acting role.

Police said on Sunday that three stolen vehicles were used in five unlawful entries between 10:30pm and 5am, including two break and enters and an attempted break and enter at three fuel stations – including Coolalinga and Darwin River; a break and enter of a licensed premise; and two other break-ins at Palmerston businesses.

“Another unrelated stolen vehicle incident occurred just after 5 am when a vehicle parked at a fuel station in Palmerston was entered by an unknown man, who removed the family and fled in their vehicle,” police said in the Sunday statement.

“The offender drove in an erratic manner and was driving on the wrong side of the road on Tiger Brennan Drive when he collided with another vehicle.

“The victim suffered minor injuries, and the offender fled the scene into the nearby area.”

That man, aged 39, was later arrested and is in custody while the other alleged offenders remain at large.

The ABC reported one of the servos broken into was at the Darwin River Tavern where a vehicle was used to ram-raid the store at 4am by a group of people who ran when they saw a staff member.

It is unclear why the NT Police media unit did not inform the public of the stolen car and guns or the crossbow shootings, or where the car and guns might be headed.

On Saturday, it was revealed that Commissioner Jamie Chalker had been asked to resign by the Fyles Government and had taken indefinite leave instead of proffering his resignation, with Mr Murphy acting as commissioner.

However, the government has not made a public statement confirming that Mr Chalker is no longer commissioner, causing confusion amongst the NT Police rank-and-file amid a crime crisis.