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Apartments evacuated during police stand-off

The incident occurred at Grand Forks apartment building on March 28
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A tense standoff at a Grand Forks apartment block on March 28 ended when an RCMP Emergency Response Team (ERT) broke through the door of a 43-year-old woman’s apartment to apprehend the individual, whom police believed to be armed with a firearm.

At approximately 7:45 p.m., Grand Forks RCMP were called to respond to the residence just off 68th Avenue in Grand Forks to check on the well-being of a resident. There, a release reads, they encountered “an emotionally distraught adult woman [… who] refused to exit her home and allegedly threatened violence towards the responding officers.”

Encountering resistance, police evacuated approximately 15 residents from a portion of the apartment building as the ERT team arrived with RCMP crisis negotiators. Along with the evacuation, police shut down a portion of 68th Avenue to all traffic.

“Despite all efforts to de-escalate the situation, and have the woman exit her home, tactically trained members were required to breach the door to her residence in order to apprehend her,” said Cpl. Jesse O’Donaghey, RCMP Southeast District Media Relations Officer, in a release.

Upon apprehension early Sunday morning, the woman was transported to hospital for a full medical assessment.

Residents were allowed to return back to their homes at approximately 6 a.m.

Police said Monday that no firearm was found at the scene, but until they could confirm that was case, operated under the assumption that there was one present.