One man arrested following 10-hour standoff
Posted October 15, 2012 3:04 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – After a 10-hour standoff Vancouver Police have arrested a 28-year-old Surrey man who barricaded himself inside the Fairmont Pacific Rim Hotel around 2:30 a.m. He apparently walked into the hotel with a handgun, that’s when officers arrived and locked down the building as well as the surrounding area.
Police used an ARWEN gun to take him down, which is described as similar to a plastic cork.
Constable Brian Montague says they waited for the best time to move in before they fired shots and hit him in the leg. “Our emergency response team took advantage of situation where they were able to use a less lethal projectile and take him into custody. He has been transported to hospital.”
The man, who was detained to the third floor, has a history of mental illness and is known to police. He could be charged with weapons-related offenses.
The motive is unknown. No one else was hurt.
Guest wanted better communication
News1130 spoke with a guest from London who was locked down in his room all morning and missed the meeting he flew in for.
He understands the safety concern here, but Thomas Ind says no one had any idea of what was happening. “And the lifts were shut down, the police officer told us to go back to our room, and I asked if there was any way I could go out through a fire escape to make my meeting and he said to go back to the room. So I tried to ring reception or the concierge and it was all blocked off.”
He was quite nervous about having to leave his passport and all of his belongings locked up in his room. “You can’t predict that a gunman is going to walk into your hotel, but I think a bit of communication would have been good.”
The standoff also caused Premier Christy Clark to postpone an education-related announcement at the Vancouver Trade and Convention Centre.
