ST. JOHN'S, N.L. — A man was taken into custody in Newfoundland Thursday after police issued an emergency alert about a possibly armed suspect in the community of Carbonear, N.L.
He was found about half an hour after the alert was issued, the Newfoundland and Labrador RCMP said in a news release on Thursday afternoon. As of the time of the release, police had not found any guns.
"The investigation is continuing to determine if a criminal offence has occurred," the release said.
Police received a report of a man getting out of a car with a rifle case in hand early Thursday, the Mounties said. He was then seen running, "possibly armed with a firearm," the release said.
An emergency alert lit up residents' phones at around 9:30 a.m., warning of a man in Carbonear who was said to be armed. It asked residents in the area to stay inside and lock their doors.
The man was found at a residence in the town and taken into custody at around 10 a.m., police said, and the alert was lifted.
Mounties from several nearby detachments, police dogs and members of an emergency response team were deployed to the area where the man was first spotted, the RCMP said. Officers found an empty rifle case, but an extensive search didn't turn up any guns. The residence was also searched, and no firearms were found, police said.
The news release thanked the public for their tips, "which assisted in the quick resolution to this unfolding situation."
Carbonear, home to about 6,200 people, is a 110-kilometre drive west of the provincial capital of St. John's.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 20, 2023.
The Canadian Press
