Details on the heavy York Regional police presence in the city’s north end Wednesday afternoon remain scant, but the scene has been cleared.
Wednesday’s police activity on Daphne Crescent, near Cundles Road, is long over but Const. Maniva Armstrong told BarrieToday on Thursday that she cannot provide any details but said “hopefully sometime today, after working on updates with the investigators, there will be something to share with everyone soon.”
Residents on Daphne Crescent said the incident began around 9:30 a.m. Wednesday and BarrieToday saw police bring out at least`two people in handcuffs around 4:30 p.m.
By 5:30 p.m. the north end neighbourhood showed no signs of a heavy police presence aside from two Barrie police vehicles.
The home in question was the focus of a York Regional Police investigation that stemmed from a weapons call just after 11 p.m. on Tuesday in the area of Steeles Avenue and Yonge Street.
A resident who said she lived “a few houses down” from the incident in Barrie said she had dropped her daughter off at school, did some grocery shopping and came home to see a “big SWAT-looking vehicle parked up in front of the house and cops everywhere.”
“I couldn’t go to my house. The officer stopped me right where the bend on Daphne is and said I needed to stay back for my safety,” said the woman who didn’t want to be named. “I’m lucky I have lived here for over 25 years and know people so I had a place to sit.”
A hold and secure at nearby Cundles Heights Public School was initiated at 12:42 p.m. and lifted at 1:35 p.m.
At one point on the street there were two York Regional Police command post units, at least one K9 unit, several tactical teams, multiple unmarked and marked police vehicles and a SWAT vehicle in the driveway of the house in question.
Barrie police communications co-ordinator Peter Leon said yesterday the investigation was being led by “an outside police service.”
Around 3:07pm, an officer moved towards the house with a dog catching device.
Officers started alerting onlookers to start moving back and one Barrie police officer got out of his vehicle to monitor resident activity closer.
Tactical officers periodically had their guns pointed toward the house.
A woman just returning from work was screaming into a phone that she lived in the basement and couldn't get to her pets. She was taken aside and calmed down by investigators while answering questions.
BarrieToday will provide more details as they become available.
