Date: Friday, July 29th, 2021
File: 21-30497
Victoria, BC – A man is in custody after being arrested by members of the Greater Victoria Emergency Response Team (GVERT) and Patrol officers following hours of negotiation. The man is a suspect in an investigation into an assault causing bodily harm and an assault by choking.
Patrol officers attended a multi-unit supportive housing facility in the 700-block of Pandora Avenue just before 1 p.m. today to arrest the man. They located him in a suite in the facility. He refused to give himself over to arrest and barricaded himself inside the suite. Officers began to negotiate with the man in efforts to resolve the incident peacefully. GVERT officers, including Crisis Negotiators, were deployed to the scene. Out of an abundance of caution, nearby residents were evacuated and Pandora Avenue closed between Douglas and Blanshard streets.
After several hours of unsuccessful negotiation, GVERT officers used irritant gas to assist in arresting the man. He was taken into custody without further incident and without injury. He remains in custody.
The investigation continues.
Pandora Avenue was reopened to traffic just before 5:30 p.m.
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