1 in custody after attempted Chilliwack bank robbery; witnesses describe hostage situation

A 64-year-old man is in custody after an attempted bank robbery in downtown Chilliwack Thursday afternoon, according to police.

Mounties were called to 9200 block of Young Road around 12:15 p.m. for a report that a man armed with a weapon was attempting to rob a financial institution in the area, according to a news release from Chilliwack RCMP.

Numerous police vehicles responded to the scene, and the Upper Fraser Valley Regional Detachment asked the public to avoid the area in a post on social media shortly before 1 p.m.

"For safety reasons, do NOT share incident details/police locations on social media," the post reads.

About an hour later, RCMP said they had taken a man into custody and that the incident was resolved.

CTV News spoke with a witness named Sundara, who was still at the scene and described being briefly stuck in a business across the street after what appeared to be a police SWAT team descended on the CIBC bank. Sundara described the situation as “terrifying.”

Another woman said her daughter-in-law works in the bank and had been held against her will, but was released after several minutes and was being interviewed by Mounties.

Another witness in the area told CTV News that there was a hostage situation unfolding at the bank, adding that someone who appeared to be a bank employee was being treated by paramedics outside the building.

Mounties didn't specify what type of weapon the alleged robber had, but said "all available police resources" – including the heavily armed Integrated Emergency Response Team – responded to the incident.

"No one was physically injured during this event," police said in their release. "Chilliwack RCMP Victim Services have been engaged to support those affected."

Police are asking anyone with information about the robbery to contact Const. Paul Gill of Chilliwack RCMP at 604-702-4202 or 604-792-4611.