VicPD has released details regarding the event that unfolded at an apartment building on Quadra Street Tuesday afternoon.
According to a VicPD media release, the incident began shortly after 1:30 p.m. in the 2500-block of Quadra Street after police received a report of a man in a mental health crisis who was at risk of becoming violent.
Police attended the building but the man refused to communicate with officers and barricaded himself inside a suite.
VicPD said the Greater Victoria Emergency Response Team (GVERT), including Crisis Negotiators, were deployed to the scene and worked to negotiate a surrender with the man.
After several hours of unsuccessful communication attempts, GVERT officers deployed a loud distraction device and irritant gas into the suite.
The man refused to cooperate with police and “encountered officers with improvised weapons,” police said.
Officers deployed Arwen less-lethal plastic projectiles, and the man continued to refuse to surrender.
He was eventually taken into custody shortly after 7 p.m. while physically resisting apprehension. Neighbours told Victoria Buzz the man was screaming as officers took him into custody.
Sources say the man was threatening to harm himself and others.
VicPD said the man was transported to hospital to receive medical treatment for non-life-threatening injuries and have a mental health assessment.
