A man suspected of an armed bank robbery in Ottawa is believed to be on the loose in Nanaimo.
Police, including the RCMP's Vancouver Island Emergency Response Team, moved into the Lost Lake Road area at about 8:30 a.m. Friday, blocking Lost Lake Road between Dewar Road and Laguna Way.
Police searched a home at about 4 p.m. and found no one in the residence, said Const. Gary O'Brien, Nanaimo RCMP spokesman.
"The roads are open, the investigation's continuing and we still have significant police presence in the area," O'Brien said.
O'Brien said the robbery suspect had made his way from Ottawa to Nanaimo.
"We put him to a house in the Lost Lake area, searched the home and he wasn't there," O'Brien said.
Police will release a description of the suspect and further details later today.