Armed and barricaded incident draws heavy police presence to Point Douglas

A heavy police presence could be seen in Point Douglas near the Disraeli bridge for much of the day Saturday, for what the police are calling an armed and barricaded incident, that began with reports of gunshots around 5:30 a.m.

Upon arrival at the scene, police had learned that no one was injured, but an armed man was at large in the area.

“An individual was armed with a firearm, an adult male. He transitioned from that area on Grove Street to the area back that is now contained and has been contained for some time, Sutherland and the Disraeli Bridge area,” said Cst. Dani McKinnon, the WPS public information officer.

Police immediately cordoned off the area, closing down traffic to vehicles and pedestrians, urging the community not to come near the area, as tactical support and crisis negotiation made contact with the individual.

Police have worked at the scene throughout the day to resolve the situation safely for the individual, officers involved, and the surrounding community.

“They’ve spent a number of hours with him now, communicating, building a relationship as we do with crisis negotiation, part of it is getting to know that person, how we can help them. So clearly we know who we’re speaking with and trying to assist,” Cst. McKinnon explained.  

The incident was resolved safely just before 4 p.m. In a statement, police announced a partial reopening of pedestrian and vehicle traffic and thanked the public for their patience, understanding, and cooperation.