Three men were arrested Wednesday after a standoff with police that ended with a series of explosions and one of the suspects jumping from a window of a house on the Ebb and Flow First Nation, according to Manitoba RCMP.
Mounties say they received a call around 7:35 a.m. that day with a report that a 38-year-old man — who had warrants for his arrest for firearms offenses — was seen driving in the western Manitoba community.
Officers were told the man was seen at a home on North West Road in the community. When they arrived, the 38-year-old and two other men were seen running into the home, RCMP said in a news release Friday.
A pickup truck that had previously been reported stolen in Winnipeg, about 185 kilometers southeast, was parked outside the home, RCMP said.
As officers set up a perimeter around the house, they received information that identified the other two men inside, both of whom were also wanted for firearms offences.
Mounties say they gained control of the area around the home and for several hours made intermittent contact with the men inside, who refused to surrender.
The officers did not know if the men were armed until they heard a loaded gun inside the house and asked the men to hand it in through the window, which they did within minutes.
Police say one of the guns was seized after an armed standoff at the Ebb and Flow First Nation this week. (Submitted by RCMP)
While officers were negotiating with the men, they heard loud bangs that led them to believe the home was barricaded, the release said.
After a few minutes, an explosion went off in the house, sending flames and smoke through the doors and windows. One of the men, aged 37, then jumped from a bedroom window and was arrested.
A large group of people who had formed in the area began throwing rocks at officers and their vehicles, damaging two windows, RCMP say. Spokesman Sgt. Paul Manaygre said the crowd demanded that the police enter the house and rescue the men from the fire.
The first explosion was soon followed by several more, Mounties said. The other two men inside – the 38-year-old who initially drew police to the house, and a 27-year-old – also got out as the fire spread through the house.
After fire and emergency medical services arrived, the fire was extinguished and the three men, all of whom are from Ebb and Flow First Nation, were taken to hospital. They were given medical attention and returned to police custody.
Two other guns were later found in the house, Manaygre said. The whole incident lasted between four and five hours, he said.
All three men were charged with crimes including arson, possession of a prohibited weapon, possession of a prohibited weapon, use of explosives and pointing a firearm, the RCMP news release said.
The men were remanded in custody with a court appearance scheduled for Friday in Dauphin Provincial Court.
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