Armed man arrested on Rideau Hall grounds
MILITARY MAN REPORTEDLY DROVE FROM MANITOBA, CRASHED GATE NEAR PM’S RESIDENCE
An armed member of the Canadian Armed Forces has been arrested after a black pickup truck crashed through the gates of Rideau Hall and drove up the path toward the official residences of Gov. Gen. Julie Payette and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Thursday morning.
The RCMP apprehended the man shortly after the vehicle broke through the Thomas Gate at around 6:40 a.m. local time. The impact with the gate disabled the truck and triggered the vehicle’s airbags.
“The armed suspect then proceeded on foot on the grounds of Rideau Hall ... where he was rapidly contained by RCMP members who were on patrol,” police said in a statement.
An RCMP officer then “began dialogue with the suspect,” the force said, while its National Division Emergency Response Team was sent to the scene, arriving shortly after 7 a.m. The man was arrested without incident just before 8:30 a.m. and taken into custody.
Neither the prime minister nor the Governor General was home at the time of the incident.
RCMP said charges were pending against the man, whose identity was not made public.
Both the police and the Department of National Defence confirmed the suspect is a member of the military.
“The Canadian Armed Forces is collaborating closely with the RCMP,” the Defence Department said in a statement. “As the RCMP is the lead investigative body for this matter, it would be inappropriate for us to comment further at this time.”
RCMP disclosed neither a motive for the incident, nor the type of weapon the man is alleged to have carried.
The CBC cited a source as saying the man had driven his truck from Manitoba, some 2,000 km east of Ottawa, and had a long gun and a note with him.
The CBC also reported the suspect is a Canadian Ranger, a reservist unit that patrols the country’s remote and coastal regions.
Sources told Global News that the man didn’t indicate he wanted to harm the prime minister, but wanted to speak with him.
“As a precaution, the (chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and explosives response) team was also deployed to search and secure the suspect’s vehicle,” RCMP said.
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