Heavily armed Mounties responded to a home in the 2600 block of Rydal Avenue around 7 a.m. for what they described as an “ongoing police incident at a residence.” Neighbors told CTV News that several homes in the area had been evacuated. Comox Valley RCMP said on Twitter that the incident was contained to one home and the general public “is not considered to be at risk.” However, they asked people to avoid the area. After lengthy negotiations failed to resolve the situation, members of the Emergency Response Team began heading home at 1:45 p.m. Loud bangs were heard and the smell of some kind of gas was evident in the street outside the house. The man surrendered himself to police outside the home and was immediately taken into custody without apparent injury. Neighbor Allan Beattie told CTV News that he has met the family who lives in the home and has always found them to be “reasonable neighbors.” He said he believed a man was inside the home and that the other occupants — a woman and two children — had left around 7:15 a.m. “We’re just hoping they can calm the guy down or whatever,” he said, adding that there’s no way to know exactly what a person is going through that would lead to this type of situation. Another neighbor, Willie Coyle, confirmed the man’s family had left the house earlier. “It’s very serious,” Coyle said before the police started moving. “The kids have been taken out of the house. I don’t think his wife is there. He’s still at home himself and the officers have been very pleasant, they’ve been keeping people informed, there doesn’t seem to be any panic. It seems to be completely under control.” RCMP are expected to release more information on the incident on Monday.
RCMP have been at a home in Cumberland since 7 a.m. this morning trying to speak with an occupant, who is believed to be armed, outside a residence. The neighbor tells CTV News it’s one of several homes that have been evacuated. pic.twitter.com/pVxAcCtim8 — Gord Kurbis (@CTVNewsGord) August 7, 2022
