Content warning: This article contains mentions of suicide.
A man in crisis has been taken to the hospital for a mental health assessment after police used a plastic bullet and a noise device during an hours-long response in downtown Victoria on Thursday.
Just after 10 a.m., officers were called to a suite in a building at Chatham and Douglas streets to respond to a report of a man with a knife who was threatening to kill himself, VicPD said.
The man was in his suite as officers tried to communicate with him through the door, police said. A “loud distraction device” was used during the incident, which saw the Greater Victoria Emergency Response Team, including crisis negotiators, attend. Police said negotiations with the man lasted nearly four hours.
The man exited his suite at about 3 p.m. and VicPD said officers used a “less-lethal” plastic round during the response. Officers apprehended the man under the Mental Health Act and he was then taken to hospital for assessment.
The block of Chatham Street between Douglas and Government streets was closed during the incident and Victoria police asked residents to avoid the area throughout the afternoon.
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