Police in Nanaimo have arrested a man who fired a shotgun at what he believed to be intruders.
The incident unfolded Tuesday when a man called 911 to report a break-in in progress at his residence, located on Roberta Road East in south Nanaimo.
According to police, the caller told the dispatcher several people were attempting to break into his house, that he was frightened and had a shotgun and then asked permission to shoot at the intruders.
The dispatcher then heard a shot fired. The caller said he had gone out to the road, but there were still intruders in his residence.
When police arrived, the man came out to the road brandishing a shotgun. Officers told him to drop the gun and he eventually complied, but as the officers were giving him further instructions, he turned suddenly, charged the police and then fled into a yard. Police kept him engaged in conversation until they took him into custody without further incident.
The shotgun was seized and contained ammunition.
Police found no one in the residence and, suspecting the man was suffering from delusions, took him to Nanaimo Regional General Hospital, where he remained for treatment.
“It was very fortunate that use of force interventions were not required and they were able to de-escalate it without further injury to anybody,” said Sgt. Sheryl Armstrong, Nanaimo RCMP spokeswoman.