One man has been taken into custody after a major police incident involving the emergency response team in downtown Victoria.

The 800-block of Johnson Street between Blanshard and Quadra streets was closed to traffic Tuesday afternoon and police had pushed all pedestrian traffic off the block while they dealt with a man barricaded inside a condo building at 834 Johnson Street.

Just before 2:30 p.m., two tactical officers with the ERT walked the man out of the building in handcuffs.

Moments before, the man was seen leaning out a second-storey window and talking with officers.

Johnson Street

Police searched the man before placing him inside a patrol car as crowds looked on. Police said they were taking the man to hospital. 

The block will remain closed until broken glass is cleaned up off the street.

The incident prevented some workers inside the nearby Atrium building from leaving.

A witness reported seeing several broken windows in the area, while police asked the public not to post pictures on social media of officers at the scene.

Barricaded man