An overnight standoff between police officers and an allegedly armed man in a Hudson Street home ended without injury Monday morning, RCMP said.
Vehicles and pedestrians were barred from a two-block radius amid a tense scene involving negotiation attempts and emergency-response officers who witnesses likened to US SWAT team members.
“It’s just unusual for Flin Flon,” said Gail Baker, who lives near the home and witnessed much of the standoff. “It’s something you see on the news, but not out your front window.”
Police said the man, a 40-year-old Flin Flon, Manitoba resident whose name they did not release, has been charged with possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose as well as assault.
The standoff began with an assault investigation Flin Flon RCMP launched at about 1 pm on Sunday, July 3. Officers received information that the accused possessed a firearm and had threatened to use the weapon to harm himself or others.
Flin Flon RCMP secured the assistance of Creighton RCMP and various Manitoba RCMP support units. Members of the RCMP Emergency Response Team and negotiators were among those summoned to the scene.
Local Mounties and paramedics sealed off the stretch of South Hudson and Hudson streets between Ross Street and Glover Avenue early Sunday evening. Baker said neighbours who were allowed out were not allowed back in, requiring at least one couple to spend the night in a hotel.
Within the blockaded area, out of eyeshot of everyone except neighbours, officers surrounded the older brick home at 2 Hudson Street, near the point where Hudson Street becomes South Hudson Street.
Baker was watching TV with her husband when they noticed multiple police vehicles outside and observed a rifle-toting police officer running up the street.
Another witness, who asked that his name not be published, told The Reminder he observed “a cop with a big gun” hiding behind his vehicle, evidently for cover, at about 6:30 pm.
At about 7:30 pm, an armed officer parked a black, unmarked SUV at the Hapnot Lake Wildlife Sanctuary, also known as the Duck Pond.
Wearing dark clothes and a protective vest, he and his large, leashed dog climbed up the nearby rock ridge, evidently approaching the suspect’s property from the rear.
Baker heard an officer talking to the suspect through a megaphone. She said the officer told the man police wanted him to come out with his hands up, and also that if he needed help, it would be given to him.
“It was kind of scary because we didn’t know if this person they were after had a gun,” she said.
From Baker’s vantage point, it was difficult to say how many officers had surrounded the house. As a very rough guess, she estimated 15 officers.
The standoff remained ongoing as night settled in. Baker said neighbours were not instructed to leave, though at one point, when she went out on her step to see what was happening, she was told to go back inside.
Throughout Sunday evening, Baker said she was impressed by how police handled the situation.
“I was really amazed at the police’s patience because this went on and on and on,” she said. “And they tried to talk to him and they were surrounding the area, and one cop stood behind his police SUV for what must have been three hours before I went to bed.”
Baker went to sleep confident that police had the situation under control. At about 8 am the next morning, she observed a large vehicle with a turret on top and what appeared to be a mechanical arm.
She said the vehicle drove right up to the suspect’s house. She heard the megaphone again. This time an officer basically told the man inside that enough was enough.
Baker said this part of the standoff lasted about two hours. At about 9:50 am, police said, the suspect voluntarily left the residence and was arrested without incident.
Baker’s husband, Bev, observed two officers exiting the property with one individual, a man, in between them.
By that point the standoff had lasted more than 15 hours. At no time did Gail or Bev Baker hear any shots fired.
Gail Baker did not know the person or persons who lived in the house, nor was she aware of any past commotions taking place there.
The suspect’s first court date was still being determined as of Tuesday morning. RCMP were continuing their investigation.
Flin Flon RCMP thanked the public for its cooperation during the road closure, saying this helped ensure the safety of all involved.
