One person was sent to hospital with life-threatening injuries following a barricade and fire in downtown Victoria on Christmas.
Victoria police said officers were called to the 700-block of Pandora Avenue just after 6 p.m. on Christmas evening for a report of an armed person causing a disturbance.
Victoria fire, police on scene at 700-block of Pandora. Police just finished taking down tape, unclear what occurred here at this time. Traffic remains impacted on Pandora between Blanshard and Douglas while first responders clear scene. #yyj #victoriaBC #yyjtraffic pic.twitter.com/kSyV86hIzv
— Nina Grossman (@NinaGrossman) December 26, 2019
When officers arrived at the scene, the person had barricaded themselves in a suite in a multi-unit residential building.
The Greater Victoria Emergency Response Team (GVERT) was deployed and smoke was seen coming from the suite while tactical officers were deploying. The Victoria Fire Department arrived at the scene to extinguish the fire while GVERT officers made an emergency entry into the suite, police said.
READ ALSO: Police incident impacts downtown Victoria traffic on Christmas
The suspect was taken into custody and was transported to hospital with life-threatening injuries by BC Emergency Health Services and paramedics.
Police said the suspect remains in a life-threatening condition as of Thursday evening.
A VicPD investigation into the incident is ongoing.
The Independent Investigations Office (IIO) was also notified of the incident and has exerted its jurisdiction over the case, according to VicPD.
Traffic was impacted on Christmas evening on Pandora Avenue between Blanshard and Douglas Streets as police and emergency crews responded to the incident.
