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No charges after Hydro lockdown

By: Staff Writer

Thursday, Jun. 21, 2012 at 10:24 AM | Comments: 0

Police officers keep watch over the downtown Manitoba Hydro building after an upset customer made a threat, Wednesday afternoon. (COLIN CORNEAU)

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A Brandon Police Service officer warns away a customer from the Manitoba Hydro building on 10th Street Wednesday afternoon. Police secured the offices after a threat from a customer was received earlier that afternoon. (COLIN CORNEAU/THE BRANDON SUN)

No charges will be filed, since nothing criminal occured, police say, despite an apparent threat that sent three buildings — including the police station — into lockdown, with armed police staking out various other locations in the city,

The panicked response was sparked by an irate call to Manitoba Hydro around 2:30 p.m. yesterday.

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Hydro spokesman Glenn Schneider said the caller, a man, was upset because his power had been cut off earlier in the day.

"He threatened to come down to the building and harm himself," Schneider said.

As a precaution, the Manitoba Hydro building was put on lockdown and police officers — at least one armed with a shotgun, and another with an assault-style rifle — kept guard outside.

Brandon Police Service Staff Sgt. Marc Alain said they were concerned that the man may have a weapon.

Manitoba Hydro’s building on Victoria Avenue was also put on lockdown, Schneider said.

Meanwhile, police staked out various locations in town where they believed that the man may be.

However, a police negotiator reached the man on his cellphone and negotiated his peaceful surrender at the police station parking lot around 4:20 p.m.

The station was also briefly in lockdown during the arrest as a precaution because there was a concern that the man may have a gun.

The Manitoba Hydro lockdown was lifted around the time of the arrest. No one was hurt in the incident, and there’s no indication that the man actually had a gun or any other weapon.

Police said this morning that, after questioning the man, no charges are being contemplated as nothing criminal actually happened. They are calling the matter resolved.

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