‘Like a war zone’: Heavy police presence leads to arrest in Waterloo’s Beechwood neighbourhood

Police cruisers, armed officers and an armoured vehicle were seen in Waterloo’s Beechwood neighbourhood Tuesday afternoon, as police arrested a man wanted in connection to a Kitchener hit and run.

Area residents described the scene as like something out of a movie.

“It kind of looked like a war zone to tell you the truth,” area resident Morgan McMillan told CTV News.

McMillan, who lives on Shakespeare Drive, said he woke up and first saw an ambulance on the street.

“[Then] my wife told me that cops were surrounding the whole area,” McMillan said.

A few hours later, he went outside.

"I saw a whole bunch of officers with their fully automatic guns out,” he said. “So obviously something quite serious is happening."

"They didn't even look like officers, they looked like military,” he continued. “They didn't have normal uniforms on. They looked like military, they even had a big armoured vehicle."

A police officer holds a weapon in Waterloo's Beechwood neighborhood on April 12, 2022. (Submitted)

Police said Tuesday’s arrest was connected to an incident in Kitchener last week.

At around 2:30 p.m. on April 7, officers saw a man wanted on two outstanding warrants in the area of Victoria Street North and Forfar Avenue in Kitchener.

Police said officers attempted to arrest the man, but he resisted and “caused his vehicle to come into contact with an officer, a police cruiser and another parked vehicle.”

The man then drove away from the area at a high speed. Police said they did not initiate a pursuit due to public safety concerns.

The officer suffered minor injuries as a result of the incident.

Police said as a result of an investigation into the incident, the man was arrested at around 1:20 p.m. on Tuesday in the area of Keats Way and Shakespeare Drive in Waterloo.

He faces multiple charges including:

• Operation while prohibited
• Assault with a weapon
• Assault with intent to resist arrest
• Dangerous operation
• Failure to stop after an accident

Residents who live in the area say they’ve never seen anything like what they witnessed Tuesday before.

An armoured police vehicle seen in the area of Shakespeare Drive in Waterloo on April 12, 2022. (Submitted)

Meezan Pirani said he was out walking around 1 p.m. when an officer came up to him and told him the road was closed.

“She said to me, ‘nobody is allowed to walk. You got to go back in, and you're not safe outside,’” Pirani said.

People in the area reported seeing tactical officers with guns surround one of the houses.

“The police won't say anything to the walkers, just telling them to go back,” Pirani said. “They closed the area so nobody can come in or go out, we don't know anything so it was really surprising and scary.”