Man in court after toddler hostage drama

A man has been charged following a six-hour suburban siege north-west of Melbourne during which a toddler was allegedly used as a shield.

Anthony Moana, 50, appeared in Melbourne Magistrates' Court today on 10 charges and was quickly remanded into custody.

Officers had earlier arrived at a Kurunjang home, in the city's far outer fringe, around 8pm (local time) yesterday, after reports of a neighbourhood assault.

Police say a man had been armed with a knife and began threatening officers before barricading himself inside the home with an 18-month-old boy and a 55-year-old woman.

"The offender nursed the child for the length of the siege, using the child in some ways as a shield," Inspector Ian Geddes had earlier told the Nine Network.

Police moved into the home and arrested the man about 2am on Tuesday after a fire was allegedly lit inside the home.

Moana is facing charges of arson, criminal damage by fire endangering life, intentionally damaging property, reckless conduct endangering life, reckless conduct causing serious injury, escape from prison/police jail, two counts of making threats to kill and two counts of assaulting police.

He will appear in court again on September 3.

- AAP