A standoff in Barriere on Saturday night and Sunday resulted in police from elsewhere in the Southeast District, including Clearwater, converging on that community.
Barriere RCMP report that on Saturday, Feb. 18, at approximately 11:30 p.m., members of the Barriere detachment received a report of a domestic assault involving a common-law couple at a residence located within the District of Barriere.
Upon their arrival in the area, police located a woman at a neighbor's residence with minor injuries. To ensure her safety, police removed her from the area.
Two Barriere RCMP members then went to the woman's residence in an attempt to locate the male suspect and have him exit the residence. The members entered the home and conducted a search for the male. They found him in the garage area with a bolt-action rifle in his hands. The man refused to comply with police instructions to drop the weapon.
Concerned for their safety and that of the male suspect, the RCMP members repositioned outside the residence, established a security perimeter and requested the assistance of additional police officers from the surrounding area and from the South-East District Emergency Response Team.
A further perimeter was set up and residents of the immediate area were evacuated for their safety. Police requested many other residents outside the immediate area to stay inside their homes. Members of the Southeast District Emergency Response Team and of the Lower Mainland Emergency Response Team maintained security for public safety while providing assistance to the Southeast District Negotiation Team.
The Southeast District Negotiation Team continued discussions with the male overnight and after over 29 hours the male subject exited the garage and was taken into custody without incident.
Police located a loaded .270 high-powered hunting rifle in the residence along with a .22 caliber rifle and two bows and arrows. The 43-year-old man, who was allegedly in breach of release conditions preventing him from being in the residence, is currently in custody at the Barriere RCMP Detachment. Police continue their investigation. There were no children involved in the incident.
The man's name is not being released to protect the identity of the woman.