Port Alberni RCMP have taken a 22-year-old man into custody following an incident at the Port Alberni Friendship Centre this afternoon (March 30, 2016).
At approximately 1:20 p.m. police received a call about a man with a knife in the vicinity of Burde Street and Fourth Avenue, in uptown Port Alberni. "He was on the street at the time," Port Alberni RCMP Cpl. Amelia Hayden said.
The man then walked into the friendship centre on Fourth Avenue. Six police cars were quickly on scene and Fourth Avenue was closed between Napier and Burde for 90 minutes. The Friendship Centre was cleared of all staff and clients and construction beside the building halted while the male remained inside the building.
"RCMP members on scene negotiated with the male," Hayden said. "Several knives were eventually seized from the male."
The man, who police declined to name, was taken into custody after 90 minutes and transported to hospital for evaluation.
"The public remained safe," Hayden added.
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– With files from editor Susan Quinn