Man experiencing mental health crisis subdued by Nanaimo police and taken to hospital

A man who locked himself in a Nanaimo house and potentially had a gun has been apprehended and taken to hospital. The incident took place at Bowstring Close, near Departure Bay Road, Saturday, Nov. 8 at approximately noon, according to reserve Const. Gary O’Brien, Nanaimo RCMP spokesperson, and it involved a person who was thought to be having a “mental health crisis.” The man was said to be acting “erractically” this morning. “Given that situation, the street was shut down,” said O’Brien. “Our emergency response team was called in, with hostage negotiator, and after a certain period of time, the individual was removed from the home, apprehended under the (B.C.) Mental Health Act, taken to hospital for psychiatric examination.” No shots were fired at police, according to O’Brien, but officers did utilize “less-than-lethal” ammunition, which did not significantly injure the man and the home has been secured. A search warrant is being prepared to allow RCMP officers to search the home for any firearms, the reserve constable said. It is not known whether the man was under the influence of illicit substances.