Man charged over replica gun incident at CHEO

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An Ottawa man in his 30s is facing more than a half-dozen criminal charges after an incident in which a replica firearm led to a lockdown at CHEO on Saturday.

In a news release, the Ottawa Police Service said the man had been causing a disturbance when he was asked to leave the property. Upon being escorted to the parking lot, the man confronted CHEO security staff with what appeared to be a weapon — later determined to be a replica — before fleeing on foot.

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Police located the man a short distance away and arrested him.

The media release said the man had been charged with three counts of harassment by threatening conduct and one count each of carrying a concealed weapon, possession of a weapon dangerous to public peace, failure to comply with an undertaking and failure to comply with a release order.

His name was withheld to protect the identity of the child he had accompanied to the children’s hospital. The child ended up in the care of another guardian, police said.

The investigation was ongoing this week and further charges could be laid, police said.

A spokesperson for CHEO said Saturday that a “Code Silver” had been called according to established protocols and a lockdown was initiated.

The lockdown was lifted shortly after it began and the hospital resumed normal operations, the spokesperson added.

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