Burnaby RCMP closed off a portion of Arcola Street between Sperling and Griffiths avenues last night after receiving calls from an individual threatening suicide.
At about 10 p.m. on Sept. 4 a man called police and told dispatch he was going to kill himself.
“We’ve got a history with him threatening suicide, and he called in last night saying he was going to shoot himself, and that he had a shot gun,” said Cpl. Dave Reid of the Burnaby RCMP. “Based on that, and the fact that he does have a history, we contacted our emergency response team who attended the area.”
When officers arrived on the scene, they cordoned off access to the area and attempted to contact the man in distress, Reid added.
“He wasn’t interested in speaking to us. We eventually contacted a close friend of his who was able to advise us that he (the man) didn’t actually have any weapons at all,” he said.
The friend also told police the man didn’t even have access to weapons, including firearms. At this point, officers entered the residence and apprehended the man without incident, Reid said.
“Everything was handled very smoothly, and there were no other issues,” he added.
The man was brought into custody and from there he was transported by ambulance to Vancouver General Hospital where he remains.
“I’m not sure whether or not they (hospital staff) decided to keep him in, but that would probably be the route they would go,” he said.
