An apartment building in downtown Vancouver's Davie Village area was the scene of a police incident Wednesday night, when an armed man barricaded himself inside someone's suite, threatened the resident, then set a fire.
According to Vancouver Police, the suite occupant called 9-1-1 around 11 p.m. to say he was being threatened by a suspect armed with a knife who was swinging a chain at him.
The victim evaded the suspect by locking himself outside on his own balcony while the suspect remained barricaded inside the apartment.
While inside, the suspect used furniture and other household items to block the door, before setting a mattress on fire.
Members from VPD’s Emergency Response Section were able to safely assist the victim off the balcony to the ground. Multiple residents of the building were moved to a nearby hotel as their suites were deemed unsafe due to smoke and water damage.
Damage to the victim's suite is estimated at over $500,000.
The suspect, who had a chain wrapped around his hands, was aggressive towards police as he was being taken into custody, according to the VPD.
Bean bag shot gun rounds were used to allow officers to gain control and safely put the 26-year-old Vancouver man in handcuffs before he injured himself or other police officers.
Vancouver Police will be recommending multiple charges to Crown counsel that include, but are not limited to, arson, forcible confinement, mischief and assault. The investigation is ongoing at this time.
Anyone with information is asked to call VPD investigators at 604-717-2541 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477.
