Vancouver police have arrested a 53-year-old man who barricaded himself inside the Roosevelt Hotel in Vancouver, according to a news release Saturday.
At approximately 4:30 a.m., police responded to an assault call at the hotel. A man allegedly punched a woman in the building, and when officers went to his room to arrest him, the man barricaded himself inside.
According to police, the man has a long criminal history, mental health issues, and has previously committed random attacks on people. Police believe he is potentially dangerous to the public and that his mental health is deteriorating.
Both mental health professionals and police negotiators had been speaking with the man all morning, trying to get him to leave his room. While investigators had a warrant to enter his room and arrest him, they chose to negotiate with him in hopes of ending the incident in a peaceful way.
However, after hours of negotiations, police decided it was necessary to force their way into the man's room and take him into custody, according to an updated release. The man faces charges of assault.
There were no injuries reported.