Vancouver – Vancouver Police have arrested a suspect who was armed with a gun and barricaded inside a Downtown Eastside social housing building for more than six hours today.
VPD responded at 10:45 a.m., after a report that someone had pulled a gun inside the building, which houses Downtown Eastside residents living with mental health, substance-use disorders, and other challenges.
When officers arrived, the armed suspect – a visitor to the building – had barricaded himself inside a room on the fourth floor.
Vancouver Police deployed more than 20 officers, including crisis negotiators and specially-trained tactical officers from the Emergency Response Team, to evacuate residents and negotiate the suspect’s surrender.
Shortly before 5 p.m., after being barricaded for more than six hours, the suspect was taken into custody. Officers deployed a taser and a bean-bag shotgun during the arrest, and the suspect received medical attention for minor injuries.
The gun was recovered inside the suite.
The suspect remains in custody and the investigation is ongoing.
