VANCOUVER -- Mounties in North Vancouver say a man broke into a woman's house while she was inside Friday afternoon, prompting a large police response in the area.
The RCMP said the man refused to leave for some time, but the resident was able to get out safely.
"Our information right now is that this homeowner did not know this gentleman – they are not related, they have no previous interaction with each other. That's what made this a bit of an odd situation," North Vancouver RCMP Sgt. Peter DeVries said.
The man has since been taken into custody, but it took about two hours to bring him in peacefully.
"We had this gentleman inside the home, and he was initially not coming out," he said.
"There was no substantial indication of risk (to the homeowner), but obviously this person didn't belong in her home, so she wanted us to come and help remove him."
He said there was nothing to suggest the man was threatening the woman, nor did they believe he was armed.
"Fortunately we were able to make contact with this man and convinced him to come out," DeVries said.
No one was injured during the arrest. The homeowner was unsettled, but unharmed in the incident, the RCMP said.
The man, who has not been publicly identified, was arrested for break-and-enter and being unlawfully in a dwelling. He is known to police, DeVries said.
The accused is being brought to hospital for an assessment. Police will be following up to determine whether there are grounds for criminal charges.
"It's not a typical situation," DeVries said.
The Lower Mainland's Emergency Response Team was part of the response to the incident.
Dempsey Road was closed between Mountain Highway and Hoskins Road as police dealt with the man involved. Nearby Lynn Valley Elementary School initiated the first phase of a lockdown during the incident as a precaution, DeVries said.
Posting about the road closure, the North Vancouver RCMP asked the public to avoid the area, and said it would be blocked to traffic until the situation was resolved. At the time, they said there was no risk to the public, but did not provide further information as to what was going on.
The RCMP said the ERT was called in, as were members of the Integrated Lower Mainland District I-TEAMS Unit – specialized officers that provide enhanced services, personnel and expertise to communities in the area.
DeVries said the teams were contacted because the man initially wasn't coming outside.
"We had support from our air services, we had support from our integrated police dog services as well," he said.
"We were able to bring this to a peaceful solution and we're very happy about that."
With files from CTV News Vancouver's Jordan Jiang in North Vancouver
