Schools put on alert as police descend on residence

Tactical officers force their way into Stoney Creek home and arrest man

A 32-year-old Hamilton man has been arrested at a Stoney Creek home in an incident that sent three nearby schools into “hold and secure” for several hours as he refused to come out on his own.

Police descended on a townhouse complex at the corner of Highgate Drive and Upper Centennial Parkway before 10 a.m. Thursday to make an arrest — they were looking for the 32-yearold, said Const. Jerome Stewart.

When the man did not come out on his own, tactical officers forced their way inside shortly before 1 p.m. and arrested the man.

He’s charged with dangerous driving and flight from police related to an earlier incident.

Police will not release the man’s name until the charges are sworn in court Friday.

At the scene, three people were seen being led out of the residence.

However, Stewart said only one man is being charged.

When a hold and secure is put in place, schools lock outside doors because of an outside threat.

In this case, police requested the precaution at Saltfleet Secondary School, Gatestone Elementary School and St. Mark’s Catholic Elementary School because of “the very large police presence.”

Officers from the Break, Enter, Auto Theft and Robbery (BEAR) Unit, front-line patrol and tactical officers from the Emergency Response Unit were all at the scene.

Once the suspect was in custody, police contacted the school boards around 1 p.m. to lift the hold-and-secure orders that had been in place.

Stewart thanked the schools and the public for their co-operation.

After police burst through the door, a dog in the residence was seen climbing up onto a lowerlevel roof. Animal control was called and the dog, which also appeared to have puppies, came down.

The investigation is ongoing and police expect to lay more charges.