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Man in custody after 4-hour standoff at Victoria motel-turned-homeless shelter

Click to play video: 'B.C. government buy iconic Victoria motel to house homeless'
B.C. government buy iconic Victoria motel to house homeless
B.C. government buy iconic Victoria motel to house homeless – Jun 3, 2020

Victoria police have taken a man into custody after a four-hour standoff at a former downtown motel.

The province purchased Paul’s Motor Inn at 1900 Douglas St. last month to serve as temporary shelter for the homeless, with plans to later redevelop it as social housing.

Read more: B.C. buys Victoria hotel, as deadline to house homeless in 2 camps looms

Police were called to the property just before 9 a.m., on a weapons complaint.

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Officers and members of the Emergency Response Team (ERT) surrounded the property and closed the 1900-block of Douglas Street and nearby side streets.

Read more: Victoria businesses say government is ‘potentially ruining’ them by buying their building to house homeless

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The man surrendered to police just before noon.

It was not immediately clear if police located a weapon.

Earlier this month the owner of Paul’s Diner, which leases a space at the hotel and recently underwent renovations, said the province’s move to house the homeless at the facility could put him out of business.

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