A witness said officers knocked down a door to arrest a man who was causing a disturbance and had barricaded himself inside one suite in a multi-unit condominium in Langley City early Wednesday morning, Jan. 10..
It started around 5 a.m. according to the witness, a resident of the building, who did not want to be identified.
“I heard an altercation coming from the hallway outside my door,” the witness told the Langley Advance Times.
A man could be heard yelling about a confrontation with a person in one of the units, that the person had “cut off his ankle bracelet” and had been threatening him.
Multiple officers responded, but when they knocked on the door, the man inside refused to come out.
“The man did not open the door but could be heard yelling to police,” the witness described.
Officers remained on the scene, advising the witness they were waiting for a warrant to enter the suite.
Then, “backup had arrived,” police “fully in protective gear with large shields and large rifles.”
Close to a dozen officers, a police dog and multiple police vehicles could be seen, the witness estimated.
“They told me to leave my unit as there could be active gunfire in the hallways. I left and watched from a safe distance outside.”
When officers moved in, the witness heard what sounded like gunshots, and when the resident was later were allowed back inside, reported seeing the door to the suite had been knocked down.
However, no shots were fired, and no weapons were found, said Langley RCMP Cpl. Craig van Herk.
“We responded to the report of a disturbance where one of the individuals briefly barricaded himself in the suite,” van Herk told the Langley Advance Times.
“It had been a passerby that reported the initial verbal altercation.”
“Lower mainland ERT [Emergency Response Team] assisted with entry and the man was apprehended without further incident,” van Herk said.
“He remains in custody as he was alleged to be breaching his release conditions. The situation is still being investigated.”
No injuries were reported.
Built in 2010, the 62-unit condominium in the 19900 bloc of 55A Avenue in Langley City is normally a quiet place, the witness remarked.
“It was shocking to me,” the resident said. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”
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