After robbing a business and threatening employees and passers-by with a “blunt object”, a man barricaded himself in a dwelling in the heart of Drummondville and tried to set it on fire on Friday afternoon. In their intervention, the police had to evacuate part of the neighborhood.
Posted at 9:41 p.m.
It all started around 2 p.m., on Saint-Damase Street, in Drummondville, in the Centre-du-Québec region. It is a small residential road with a few shops.
The thief, a 48-year-old man in breach of probation conditions, broke into a business with a blunt object, explains agent Nicolas Scholtus, spokesperson for the Sûreté du Québec. He threatened both customers and employees and came out with a sum of money.
On the run, the suspect continued to threaten passers-by. He ended up taking refuge in a building on 14e avenue, where a primary school is located.
Once in this cul-de-sac, and faced with the large police deployment, the fugitive tried to set fire to the building, specifies Mr. Scholtus. Fire departments were called in to bring the flames under control.
“An evacuation of nearby residents was also necessary, with a view to safety,” said agent Nicolas Scholtus.
Two hours after the 9-1-1 call, around 4 p.m., the police managed to subdue the suspect. He was taken to a hospital for psychiatric evaluation.
The man could face charges of commercial and personal robbery, mischief, arson, assault with a weapon on a police officer, and breach of his conditions.