Tuesday morning operation centered around man in crisis
The Woodstock Police Force said officers took one person into custody following an incident at the NBCC Woodstock campus on Tuesday morning, Feb. 25.
Police announced the arrest in a social media post shortly after 11 a.m., a little over an hour after posting a notice asking the public to avoid the NBCC Woodstock campus.
“This operation has now been concluded. Woodstock Police Force has one person in custody, and there is no risk to the public. We would like to thank the RCMP for their assistance with this matter,” the WPF posted.
In a social media press release on Wednesday, Feb. 26, Woodstock Police Force Chief Mark Bennett provided more details about the operation.
“On Tuesday, Feb. 25… the Woodstock Police Force (WPF) assisted by the RCMP, responded to a 36-year-old male in crisis near the New Brunswick Community College (NBCC). The individual, who was armed with a knife, had stopped in the area where a large police presence was conducting a training exercise,” he said in the release.
Chief Bennett said that despite the coincidental timing, WPF and RCMP officers safely de-escalated the situation, and the male was apprehended without incident or injury. He also thanked the RCMP for their cooperation, saying this “potentially dangerous situation was resolved peacefully.”
After the man was safely taken into custody, he was transported to the Upper River Valley Hospital for medical evaluation and later released.
It was noted that after his release, he was placed in police custody on unrelated charges.
Initially, it was believed the police operation at the college was related to a training exercise, but Chief Bennett noted that was not the case in this instance.
