Editor's note: This article has been updated with the latest information from the RCMP.
INNISFAIL — The male who was taken into custody last night without further incident following a heavy police presence in Innisfail that prompted Mounties to ask residents to stay in their homes, is not facing charges.
At about 8 p.m. on Wednesday, April 27, the Innisfail RCMP received a complaint of a male in distress who had barricaded himself in his garage and was threatening to shoot police with a crossbow, police reported in a press release issued just after noon today (Thursday, April 28).
Sealing off the immediate perimeter, RCMP contained the house and called for assistance from the Southern Alberta RCMP Emergency Response Team and Crisis Response Team. Officers proceeded to negotiate with the male for several hours.
“At one point, the male deployed a can of bear spray on himself and was in medical distress,” reads a portion of the police statement, adding the emergency response team “made a forcible entry to the garage.”
The man, who was not named by police, was safely arrested and subsequently transported to an undisclosed hospital.
The public was given the all-clear at about 9:45 p.m. when Innisfail RCMP advised residents that the incident in the 5100 block of 36th Street Close had been resolved.
Innisfail RCMP had initially issued a press release at 8:24 p.m. informing residents about the heavy police response and urging people to stay clear of the area.
“There was a person in a house that they were trying to take into custody,” Cpl. Gina Slaney, media relations officer for the Alberta RCMP Southern Alberta District, told the Albertan on Thursday, April 28. “And that person was taken into custody without further incident.”
Police later said no further updates are anticipated at this time.
• RELATED: Update: Heavy police presence in Innisfail this evening
