Armed Niagara resident refuses to surrender to police for six hours

A person with a gun barricaded themselves inside their own home in Niagara Falls yesterday (July 23), keeping police at bay for six hours.

Niagara Regional Police were called to a home on Green Boughs Rd. near Olden Ave. shortly before 1 p.m. after receiving reports of an individual wielding a weapon inside.

Officers arrived on scene and determined the weapon was a gun and there was only one person inside the house. The person refused to come out.

Members of Niagara Police’s Emergency Task Unit (ETU) as well as crisis negotiators were called to the scene.

Police closed several surrounding roads in the area as a precautionary move. Residents of neighbouring homes were told by officers to stay inside.

Members of the ETU contained the house and negotiations continued for several hours.

At 7:15 p.m. the person surrendered to officers and was arrested. Police say an investigation determined that there were reasonable grounds to apprehend the individual under the Mental Health Act.

Police executed a search warrant on the home and seized guns and ammunition from the residence.

There are no criminal charges laid in relation to the incident at this time.

The person has been transferred to a hospital for further psychiatric assessment and care.

Police encourage anyone with information about this incident to contact detectives at 905-688-4111, ext. 1022200.