CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. — A 43-year-old Charlottetown man faces several charges, including possession of a weapon for dangerous purpose, following an armed standoff with police Friday.
Charlottetown police Deputy Chief Brad MacConnell says the man will appear in court this afternoon. The man has also been charged with pointing a firearm, mischief under $5,000 and uttering threats.
MacConnell says city residents called police with concerns over the behaviour of the man, who was reportedly uttering threats and brandishing what appeared to be a handgun and a long-edged sword.
“Any time we get a call of someone using weapons in a threatening manner it is extremely serious," he says of the incident that saw armed police officers train their guns on a building on a busy Charlottetown street for several hours.
MacConnell says the man is known to police and adds the incident is yet another in a growing number of cases city police are dealing with involving people with mental health issues.
When police responded to a call at 9:57 a.m. Friday, the suspect went into his apartment in a building on Upper Hillsborough Street. Police were quickly able to determine the man was alone.
A crisis negotiation team was called in, along with a containment team. The man exited the apartment after several hours of negotiation and was taken into custody.
MacConnell says police discovered the man had been brandishing a pellet gun, not a more dangerous handgun.
Still, he adds, considerable damage could have been done with the pellet gun and the sword.
Police also seized two additional pellet guns from the apartment.
