Police in Burnaby have a man in custody after a three-hour standoff Monday afternoon that led to the lockdown of two nearby elementary schools.
Police responded to the scene with the integrated emergency response team as well as a battering ram, but it was IERT negotiators that brought the situation to a close.
"Through negotiations, he peacefully surrendered himself," said Cpl. Brenda Gresiuk, following the incident.
The incident began shortly before noon when police received a call about a man in his early 20s, distressed, possibly armed and barricaded in his home in the 1600-block of Delta Avenue.
"We responded to the area and had learned there was a threat of a weapon in the area so as a precautionary measure, with public safety being a priority, we initiated lockdown at Brentwood Park Elementary and as well as Holy Cross school for the safety of the staff and students inside," Gresiuk said.
The man's family was nearby and assisted in the negotiations, Gresiuk said.
After police did a sweep of the home, Gresiuk said it appears the suspect might not have had a weapon at all.
"It's still unfolding right now. There are no indications that there are any weapons in the home. Again, there was the threat of a weapon and we take that very seriously," she said.
"He's just been taken into police custody. There may or may not be charges. One of the things we'll be looking at is his overall mental health," she said.
Gresiuk said the man had "not a lot of negative history with the police."
Parents arriving to pick up their children from Brentwood were turned away at a police line and instructed to park at a nearby mall and walk to the school, Gresiuk said. Children at Holy Cross were able to be picked up from outside the south end of the barricade.
Residents of the neighbourhood were also being kept behind the roadblock as they arrived, until the situation was resolved.
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