Standoff in Cumberland neighbourhood ends 'safely,' RCMP say
One man is in custody following a police standoff in Cumberland, B.C. that lasted for just over six hours on Sunday.
Heavily armed Mounties responded to a home in the 2600 block of Rydal Avenue around 7 a.m. for what they described as an "ongoing police incident at a residence."
Neighbours told CTV News several homes in the area had been evacuated.
Comox Valley RCMP said on Twitter that the incident was confined to one home and the general public "is not considered to be at risk." Still, they asked people to avoid the area.
After lengthy negotiations failed to resolve the situation, Emergency Response Team members began to move in towards the home at 1:45 p.m. Loud bangs could be heard and the smell of some sort of gas was evident on the street outside the home.
The man surrendered himself to police outside the home and he was immediately taken into custody without any apparent injuries.
Neighbour Allan Beattie told CTV News he's met the family that lives in the home, and always found them to be "reasonable neighbours."
He said he believed it was a man inside the house, and that the other occupants – a woman and two children – had left around 7:15 a.m.
"We just hope that they can calm the guy down, or whatever," he said, adding that there's no way to know exactly what a person is going through that would lead to this type of situation.
Another neighbor, Willie Coyle, confirmed the man’s family had left the home earlier.
“It’s quite serious," Coyle said before police began moving in.
"The children have been taken out of the house. I don’t think his wife is there. He’s still in the house himself and the police officers have been very pleasant, they’ve been informing people, it doesn’t look like there’s any panic. It looks like it’s completely under control.”
RCMP are expected to release more information on the incident on Monday.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Man who set himself on fire outside Trump trial dies of injuries, police say
A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former U.S. President Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said.
Verdun Airbnb listing taken down amid complaints, fines and frustration from neighbours
An Airbnb in Montreal's Verdun borough was the source of much frustration from neighbours who say there were constant parties at the location. It has been taken down from the app, but housing advocates remain upset about short-term rentals.
They were from different countries and barely spoke each other's languages. More than 20 years later, they're still happily in love
He decided to spend Christmas somewhere that wouldn't involve snowstorm disasters. She was spending the holidays with family, travelling for the first time outside of her native country of Venezuela. 23 years later, they're still in love.
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
Fire in Labrador town under control, officials tells residents to stay away
RCMP say the fire that prompted a state of emergency in a Labrador town is now under control.
12 students and teacher killed in Columbine school shooting remembered at 25th anniversary vigil
Thirteen victims of the Columbine High School shooting were remembered during a vigil Friday on the eve of the 25th anniversary of the shooting that was the worst the nation had seen at the time.
Israeli airstrike in southern Gaza city of Rafah kills at least 9 Palestinians, including 6 children
An Israeli airstrike on a house in Gaza's southernmost city killed at least nine people, six of them children, hospital authorities said Saturday, as Israel pursued its nearly seven-month offensive in the besieged Palestinian territory.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
Iraq investigates a blast at a base of Iran-allied militias that killed 1. U.S. denies involvement
Iraqi authorities said Saturday that they were investigating an explosion that struck a base belonging to the Popular Mobilization Forces, a coalition of Iran-allied militias, killing one person and injuring eight.