Gun call on Polson Avenue, 7 hour standoff lead to 1 arrest

Police were on scene on Polson Avenue for seven hours Sunday night.

Winnipeg police say one man was arrested after they responded to a call of a man with a gun at a house on Polson Avenue.

It happened at about 6:40 p.m. Sunday in the 1100 block of Polson. Police said a man had threatened to kill someone who lived there as well as police. Everyone except the suspect was able to escape the home.

“They were able to get out very quickly after the 911 call was made,” said Winnipeg police Const. Rob Carver.

Police shut down a large area around the home, and communicated with neighbours with a megaphone. A spokesperson said police used dogs, the Air1 helicopter, crisis negotiators and multiple police units during the standoff.

“Time is on the side of law enforcement, we want to be as patient as possible,” Carver said. “That’s why we bring out trained negotiators who go through really, really extensive training protocols to make sure that everyone understands that we want to move as slowly as possible to be as safe as possible. That happened here, it took a long time.”

The incident ended seven hours later, when a 21-year-old man related to the people who live at the home was taken into custody.

Police said he is charged with a number of offences, including possession of a weapon for dangerous purpose and uttering threats.