One person was taken into custody following a standoff outside a Nanaimo motel Thursday morning. (Alex Rawnsley/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

POLICE INCIDENT

VIDEO: Mental health crisis at Nanaimo motel closes traffic on Terminal Ave., one man arrested

Oct 12, 2023 | 8:57 AM

NANAIMO — A 31-year-old man was taken into custody after an extended standoff at a downtown motel.

Police were called to the Castaway Motel just after 6:30 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 12 for a check well-being call on a tenant at the property. Police determined the man was suffering a mental health crisis, which had escalated.

Reserve Cst. Gary O’Brien said in a statement a family member initially alerted police.

“Officers disengaged and contained the area. It was decided at this time the best course of action would be to have the RCMP Emergency Response Team (ERT), a crisis negotiator and the Nanaimo RCMP Mental Health Liaison Officer attend, and address the situation.”

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Terminal Ave. Traffic was shut down between Mt. Benson St. and Vancouver Ave. for approximately three hours as a result of the incident.

Discussions continued throughout with the man to try and encourage him to leave the room voluntarily.

Attempts failed and officers breached the room around 9:30 a.m. to arrest and detain the man under the Mental Health Act.

He was taken to Nanaimo Regional General Hospital, while police stated charges are not being contemplated.

“This was an extremely volatile and potentially dangerous situation that was resolved successfully by utilizing RCMP resources and officers who are trained to deal with these types of situations,” O’Brien added.

No injuries stemmed from the incident.

Officers specially trained for mental health calls were on scene at the Castaway Motel on Thursday morning. (submitted photo)

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