Manitoba RCMP say a man considered to be armed, dangerous, and an immediate threat to the public was arrested just hours after a pair of emergency alerts were sent out warning about the unfolding situation Wednesday.
Wesley Manfred Wadien, 38, had been wanted in connection with allegations of uttering threats and pointing a firearm, as well as arrest warrants for multiple other offenses.
After warning the public that Wadien was considered armed and dangerous late Wednesday afternoon, RCMP sent out an emergency alert shortly before 7 p.m. upgrading the warning to say the suspect was now considered an immediate threat to the public.
A second alert was sent again around 7:45 p.m.
Police said the alerts were regionalized and only sent to areas of the province where they though suspect could be. They said the warning applied to the Selkirk, Interlake and Winnipeg areas.
At a press conference held less than 30 minutes before the arrest, RCMP Supt. Rob Lasson advised anyone living in those areas to stay indoors while officers searched for the suspect, then thought to be on foot somewhere in the Interlake.
“There’s a lot of high-risk tactical maneuvers going on,” Lasson said at the time. “They’re actively trying to apprehend the individual right now.”
Lasson said officers had been searching for the suspect after a man pointed a shotgun in Selkirk Tuesday and then fled from Mounties.
He said the suspect evaded police a second time when they caught up with him again in Selkirk, earlier in the day Wednesday.
“Which initiated a very extensive pursuit throughout the Interlake in Manitoba,” Lasson said, adding the decision to alert the public was made based on Wadien’s previous contact with police and the risk they determined he posed.
“The RCMP in Manitoba wanted to ensure that all public were well informed of the potential risk that this individual posed due to the unpredictable behaviour he displayed towards the police throughout the last two days.”
Lasson said regular Mounties, an RCMP tactical unit, Winnipeg police, dog teams, a police helicopter and drones were used to look for him and the search continued Wednesday.
In a tweet sent around 8:15 p.m. RCMP said Wadien had been arrested without incident in the RM of Rockwood, north of Winnipeg.
Lasson wouldn’t say exactly where Wadien was finally arrested, or what exactly he has been charged with.
–With files from The Canadian Press
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