Tactical officers arrest man in Kitchener

Tactical officers converged on a Kitchener neighbourhood Sunday after a man was reported brandishing a gun.

Waterloo regional police maintained a large presence outside an apartment complex near the corner of Dixon and Eckert streets throughout the morning and early afternoon.

In an update at 2:37 p.m., they said one person had been taken into custody. No one was hurt.

The 32-year-old Kitchener man was charged with weapons related offences, Const. Brad Hickey said in email.

Multiple police cruisers are seen on Dixon Street in Kitchener on Feb. 4, 2024. (Hannah Schmidt/CTV Kitchener)

Neighbours say police arrived suddenly around 9 a.m.

“I was just going to go grocery shopping and I saw a whole bunch of cop cars and then even more started showing up and then they started blocking off cars,” said Kim Farrell, who lives in the area.

“I saw a female cop getting out of her vehicle with an assault rifle.”

As of 11 a.m., there were 10 police cruisers in the area.

At around 11:30 a.m., officers in tactical gear went into the apartment complex with what appeared to be a power saw.

Tactical officers enter an apartment complex on Dixon Street in Kitchener on Feb. 4, 2024. (Hannah Schmidt/CTV Kitchener)

Hickey said they negotiated with the man and he surrendered peacefully.

Farrell said despite what she saw Sunday, she still feels safe very safe in her neighbourhood for the most part.

“It kind of worries me but I try not to get all paranoid about it,” she said.