A southeast Barrie neighbourhood was swarmed by police in tactical gear yesterday afternoon — as well as the 'Rescue 1' armoured vehicle — following a call about a man armed with a crossbow.
A 31-year-old Barrie man was arrested Thursday after uniform officers and members of the Barrie police tactical support unit descended upon the Danielle Crescent home, near Mapleview Drive East and Madelaine Drive.
“It’s not too often you come across a call involving a crossbow,” said Peter Leon, the police department’s communications co-ordinator.
Police said they had been called to the home by an individual who had allegedly located his stolen snowmobile advertised for sale on a social-media platform.
As the caller waited outside for officers to arrive, police say a male exited the home armed with a crossbow and pointed it at the man.
This ultimately led to another call to police, which resulted with the homeowner being taken into custody.
“Our tactical support unit responded and they brought Rescue 1 knowing that the information we received involved a weapon that had the potential to cause serious bodily harm or imminent death, just because of the way it’s designed," Leon said. "They utilized Rescue 1 in that capacity to get them safely in front of the residence so that they could deal with it, and the individual surrendered."
From the investigation that followed, investigators learned the snowmobile had allegedly been stolen in a previous break-and-enter.
A search warrant was executed shortly after midnight at the home where the snowmobile was believed to be. The machine was located, along with the crossbow believed to have been involved in Thursday afternoon's incident.
The accused has been charged with assault with a weapon, possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose and possession of property obtained by crime under $5,000. He has since been released and is scheduled to appear at the Ontario Court of Justice located in Barrie on Oct. 23.
None of the allegations have been tested in court.
