Man with knife taken into custody after hours-long standoff in Victoria

The Victoria Police Department headquarters. (CTV News)

One man is in custody Friday after an hours-long standoff with police from Greater Victoria's emergency response team.

Police were called to the area of Quadra Street and Hillside Avenue shortly after 3 a.m. after a report that the man was breaching the court-ordered conditions of his release while awaiting trial on assault charges, Victoria police said.

The conditions prohibited him from being in the area, according to police.

Police found the man armed with a knife inside a suite in a multi-unit residential building in the 2800-block of Fifth Street.

Police say the man said he had gasoline and was going to set fire to the building.

Crisis negotiators, firefighters and paramedics attended the scene and suites in the building were evacuated.

Just after 7 a.m., police used tactical noisemakers and chemical irritants to remove the man from the suite.

The man came outside with the knife and police fired an ARWEN less-lethal weapon to disarm him and take him into custody.

Police say he was medically cleared at the scene and taken to VicPD cells where he was held in custody.

All residents have returned to the building, police said.

Anyone with information about the incident who has not yet spoken to investigators is asked to call Victoria police at 250-995-7654.