CORNWALL – A seven-hour standoff at a Cornwall hotel has ended with a heavily damaged hotel room and police empty-handed.
The episode started around 5:30 p.m. after reports of someone hold up in a room at the Howard Johnson on Brookdale Avenue.
A source told Cornwall Newswatch it was believed that one, possible two, people were in the ground-floor unit and had barricaded themselves. It was also believed there may have been guns in the room.
Police won’t confirm nor deny if any weapons were found.
Neighbouring streets around the hotel, such as Rosemount Avenue, were shut down as plain clothes officers peppered the area while the Cornwall Emergency Response Team (CERT) moved into position.
As the situation became more tense as the night wore on, Brookdale Avenue was closed to traffic around 10 p.m.
Shortly after Brookdale was shut down, members of CERT could be heard on a bullhorn shouting “Unit 112, this is the Cornwall Police Emergency Response Team. Answer the phone…answer the phone in the black box.” The request went out about six times on three separate occasions.
The sound of smashing glass and then a pop of a flash-bang distraction device could be also heard from the hotel.
Just after 12:30 p.m., police suddenly opened the road and tactical officers started packing up their gear.
The hotel unit appeared to be heavily damaged in the seven hour ordeal. Cornwall firefighters were brought in with a fan to air out the room.
Cornwall police Const. Dan Cloutier said no one was found and the investigation is ongoing.
Video: Members of the Cornwall Community Police Service Emergency Response Team set off a flash-bang distraction device and move in on a hotel room Aug. 12, 2015 during a seven hour standoff. Officers ended up finding the room empty. (Newswatch Group/Bill Kingston)
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