Hamilton police have now confirmed gunshots were fired when officers were called to a report of a suspicious man in the east end over the weekend.
Police arrived in the area of Barton Street East and Ottawa Street North shortly before 10 p.m. Friday and saw a man climbing the fire escape of a building, heading towards the roof.
Moments later, officers found the man standing outside the building and he fled on foot.
As officers chased after him, police allege the man pulled out what appeared to be a handgun and fired it in the direction of the officers.
A short distance later, police caught up with the man who allegedly positioned a female between himself and the officers to deter his arrest.
The female was not hurt and the man let her go and kept running in the area of Britannia Avenue and London Street North.
The Emergency Response Unit, ACTION Team and K9 Unit were called in to help search for the suspect.
Hours later, police received information that a resident in the area confronted a man on her property and a physical altercation allegedly occurred, before he fled on foot.
Police say the resident suffered minor injuries.
Officers brought in a Halton Police Service drone and continued to search the area for several hours but were unable to locate the suspect.
Through their investigation, police have found evidence to confirm the suspect discharged a firearm.
He is described as white, in his 20’s, wearing all black, clean shaven, and approximately five-foot-seven to five-foot-10 with a stocky build.
Police say at the time of the incident, he was wearing a blonde wig.
Meanwhile, police are urging residents in the area to check their surveillance cameras for any suspicious activities and contact police or Crime Stoppers.