Stewiacke, NS (Canadian Press) – RCMP were on the hunt Tuesday for an armed man dressed head-to-toe in camouflage garb after he fled a rural home where he’d kept officers at bay for 28 hours.
Sgt. Al Affleck said a man unexpectedly “bolted into the woods” with a long gun late in the morning from the rear of the house in nearby Lanesville, about an hour’s drive northeast of Halifax.
Affleck said it wasn’t difficult for the suspect to flee even though the house was surrounded by police officers, negotiators and technical specialists.
“It’s pretty easy,” he said. “If he decides he’s going to leave, we’re not going to engage him to get to lethal force. We’re going to determine what he’s going to do and take action from there.”
The RCMP identified the suspect as Clifford Carl Brown, who was described as being five-foot-10 and 200 pounds, with white hair and blue eyes.
The RCMP said anyone seeing someone matching this description should call 911 and not approach them.
Affleck said RCMP officers on the scene didn’t fire any shots when the man fled.
The standoff began Monday morning after police got a call from a local woman who told them someone had shot at her husband’s vehicle as he drove down a road.
Police said several shots were fired from the home as police attempted to establish communication, but the man refused to negotiate.
There were no injuries.
Affleck said the situation escalated briefly Tuesday when a man came out of the house shouting incoherently and holding a handgun.
Homes along a six-kilometre stretch of a road near the scene of the standoff were evacuated and roadblocks were set up.
“Knowing that he’s armed, our next step is to tread very cautiously with our dog section and our (emergency response team) members … and hopefully engage him and take him under arrest without anyone getting hurt,” said Affleck.
Additional police officers from Antigonish and Amherst were sent to the scene.
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