Armed man arrested after police operation shuts down Highway 440 in Laval

A police operation has ended and streets have reopened after an armed man in his 20s was arrested late Tuesday afternoon during a standoff with police in Laval.

Evelyne Boudreau, a spokesperson for Laval police, said witnesses called 911 around 3 p.m. when they saw the man on des Laurentides Boulevard overpass above Highway 440.

“We had different witnesses who saw this man outside his vehicle with a firearm,” she said.

Police immediately started to secure the perimeter, forcing the closures of Highway 440 and des Laurentides Boulevard during afternoon rush-hour. They asked people to avoid the sector due to an armed individual.

“We realize it did impair traffic for a lot of commuters tonight but it was for their security,” Boudreau said. “They have to understand that.”

The man fired at least one bullet during the standoff with police, which lasted about 90 minutes.

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Boudreau said the man was in distress while policed talked to him. Officers found at least two firearms near his car.

By 4:35 p.m., police said the situation was under control after the man gave himself up to police.

“He surrendered to us without any kind of incident,” said Boudreau.

Witnesses stuck in traffic at the scene told Global News “they’ve never seen anything like it,” and that police asked everyone on the highway to turn their vehicles around.

The closures, which have since been lifted, led to heavy traffic in the area for most of the evening.

Investigation underway

Laval police say the man is in custody and is under observation at a hospital.

“He has no physical injuries but he was saying different types of things that led us to believe he could injure himself,” Boudreau said.

It is still too early to know if the man is known to police, said Boudreau.

The police crime scene unit is still on location.

–with files from Global’s Gloria Henriquez and La Presse Canadienne