What began as a report of a man threatening people with an ‘edged weapon’ near a downtown intersection Tuesday morning ended with a brief standoff with officers in a nearby back alley, London police said.
A 25-year-old London man is facing several charges in connection to the incident which shut down several downtown streets after police were called to the area of King and Richmond streets around 9 a.m.
An officer responding to the scene located a male in possession of an ‘edged weapon,’ and when they approached the suspect, the accused allegedly threatened and charged at the officer, resulting in the officer firing their gun twice, police said. No injuries were reported as a result.
“The suspect then fled into a nearby alley where there was a brief standoff with additional officers,” police said in a statement.
Police said members of the emergency response unit attended the scene and attempted to de-escalate the situation by negotiating with the suspect, who investigators allege continued to be non-compliant and attempted to flee the area before being taken into custody around 9:45 a.m.
“The suspect was taken to hospital for medical assessment and was released,” police said. “The suspect currently remains in police custody.”
The accused, a 25-year-old London man, faces a charge of assault a peace officer with a weapon, uttering threats of death or bodily harm, and possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose. He was set to appear in court Tuesday afternoon.
The incident saw officers cordon off the intersection of King and Richmond and a portion of York Street near Clarence Street.
No one was injured during the incident. Const. Matt Hopkins said there was no concern for public safety.
– With files from Andrew Graham