A prolonged standoff with an armed and barricaded individual ended peacefully in Nanaimo on Sunday.
The potentially volatile situation, involving an adult man in a mental health crisis armed with firearms, occurred in a rural area on Cedar Road in Nanaimo.
The incident was reported just after 11 a.m. on Sunday February 25th, at a rural home located in the 1700 block of Cedar Road.
Numerous officers were called to the scene including the RCMP Emergency Response Team and Crisis Negotiators.
Two other family members inside the residence managed to safely leave the home.
At that time, police contained the home, controlled access to the rural road and escorted nearby residents from their homes.
A crisis negotiator opened up dialogue with the individual and continued to do so throughout the incident.
At approximately 3 p.m.—four hours after the standoff began—police were able to convince the man to leave the home.
Police said the individual walked out and after a brief struggle with officers, he was apprehended under the Mental Health Act.
He was then transported to the Nanaimo hospital for a psychiatric assessment.
Police then searched the home and seized seven long guns and ammunition.
No charges are pending under the Criminal Code however, investigators will be making an application to have the firearms destroyed and the individual to be prohibited from possessing firearms.
“We recognize that some residents were displaced and others were inconvenienced for a period of time. Safety however is paramount for everyone involved, including our officers. Our sole objective was to resolve the situation peacefully,” said R/Cst Gary O’Brien of the Nanaimo RCMP.
