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Police use tear gas to arrest woman at Eldon Place home

The Greater Victoria Emergency Response Team used tear gas to take a 37-year-old woman into custody under the Mental Health Act.
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Saanich police

The Greater Victoria Emergency Response Team used tear gas to take a 37-year-old woman into custody under the Mental Health Act.

Saanich police were called to a residential complex on Eldon Place, near Burnside Road East and Balfour Avenue, about 7:15 a.m. Monday.

The initial call was for a disturbance, said Const. Markus Anastasiades, but officers discovered she had been making threats against people in the building, as well.

She made threats involving a weapon toward police and threatened to burn down the building while holding “incendiary devices” in her hands, police said.

Neighbouring suites were evacuated as a safety precaution.

Negotiations with the woman continued through the morning, and she was taken into -custody about 12:30 p.m.

Anastasiades said officers used tear gas. “The use of any force option is a last resort for police and can be applied in situations where communication is not effective and safety concerns exist,” he said.

The woman was taken to hospital by ambulance.

She is facing charges of possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose, uttering threats and mischief.

The department said it has had about 40 dealings with the woman since May, most of them related to her mental health, police said.