A suspect is facing seven charges after a woman reported being assaulted and fleeing her captor in Richmond earlier this week.

The province's prosecution service said 42-year-old Cheng Ian Huang has been charged with kidnapping, assault, assault with a weapon and sexual assault using a Taser. He is also charged with possession of a firearm without a permit, impersonating a police officer and uttering a threat.

The charges stem from an incident reported Wednesday morning.

"It started with a call we received at Dixon Elementary. We were to meet a Good Samaritan and a woman she had picked up at the west end of Williams Road," Richmond RCMP Cpl. Dennis Hwang told CTV News. "Apparently the woman, she managed to escape a captor and flagged down this Good Samaritan."

Officers met the victim at the school. Investigators then identified a location where the woman appeared to have been held, and surrounded the home on the 3000-block of Jesmond Avenue around 1 p.m.

Witnesses said they saw officers carrying guns shut down the street and wait.

A witness said he asked one of the Mounties why they were so heavily armed.

"Police told me that when they went into the house – I don't know why they went into the house – but when they went into the house, they thought they saw a long gun in one of the vehicles in the driveway," Rod Caris told CTV News.

"That's why they were packing the big heat."

Mounties said they were outside negotiating, and that the only person in the house surrendered peacefully around 4 p.m. They said the 42-year-old Richmond man was taken into custody following a negotiation, and that he appeared uninjured at the time.

During the tense moments leading up to his arrest, Dixon Elementary was put in a hold-and-secure "to make sure the staff and the students were safe even though the crime scene was roughly two blocks away," Hwang said.

Staff and students had to stay indoors until 4:15 p.m., when the situation was resolved.

The investigation is ongoing. Officers remained at the home late Wednesday night, and returned Thursday to collect possible evidence.

Authorities are not disclosing how long the woman might have allegedly been held against her will. The woman's name is also protected under a publication ban, but the corporal confirmed she is receiving help from Victim Services.

Hwang would not say that the suspect was known to police.

The house is surrounded by fencing, with a gate leading to a driveway full of clutter. An old minivan and a new Tesla were parked out front.

Neighbours said the man would spend hours working in the driveway, and sometimes even slept in the van.

A spokesperson for the City of Richmond said multiple complaints had been made about "unsightly premises" and something burning on the property. Inspectors had made a number of visits to the home and encouraged the resident to clean up.

The last visit was made in October, and at that time he had cleaned the property to the city's satisfaction.

Neighbours told CTV News their complaints included that he was running a makeshift metal shop, welding and sawing things at odd hours. At one point, neighbours said he was burning some kind of chemical in a barrel.

One resident of the area said the man had been seen riding a hover board while walking his dog.

Police ask anyone with more information to contact them at 604-278-1212, or by email at Richmond_Tips@rcmp-grc.gc.ca. Tips can also be left anonymously through Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).

With files from CTV Vancouver's Penny Daflos