Five schools in north Nanaimo were placed under a secure and hold order briefly Monday afternoon while police searched for a man who threatened to harm himself Monday.
Police issued the order, which keeps students locked in schools while classes continue, for Dover Bay Secondary and Rutherford, Randerson Ridge, Frank J. Ney and McGirr elementary schools at about 1 p.m., while an RCMP police dog services team searched for a man who was allegedly carrying an “edged weapon” in the Waldbank Road area.
“The fact is we didn’t have eyes on him at that point, so the dog tracked him and while that’s going on the last thing we need is for kids to be out on a school trip somewhere,” said Const. Gary O’Brien, Nanaimo RCMP spokesman.
The secure and hold order was lifted at about 1:40 p.m. after the man was found on a beach near Icarus Drive suffering from minor injuries that might have been self-inflicted, O’Brien said.
O’Brien did not have specific information available about the man’s injuries or the weapon he was allegedly carrying.
“Initial reports were it was an edged weapon, like a knife,” O’Brien said.
The suspect was taken to Nanaimo Regional General Hospital to be treated for his injuries and for a psychological evaluation.
