A 33-year-old man who may have threatened his mother this morning barricaded himself in a bedroom for three hours while Saanich police tried to coax him out.
The man’s mother locked herself in her bedroom around 8:30 a.m. and called police, due to her son acting and speaking erratically and possibly in a threatening manner. Officers entered the apartment at 150 Gorge Rd. West to find the son locked in a bedroom and refusing to come out.
The man is known to police and has a history of violence, said Sgt. Steve Eassie. Officers initially had concerns that he had a weapon, but there’s no indication he did. The regional emergency response team didn’t attend the Gorge Road incident, as it was already tied up at a standoff in James Bay.
Officers negotiated with the man through the door until he came out at about 11:30 a.m. Eassie said he didn’t know what finally prompted his co-operation. Police suspect he suffers from mental health problems, experienced a drug-induced psychotic episode, or both.
At 1:15 p.m. he was taken to hospital for a mental health assessment and police say charges are unlikely.
Nobody was injured during the standoff.
editor@saanichnews.com
