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Edmonton Hostage Crisis: Armed Man Holds 4 to 8 Hostages at WCB

by Jon Azpiri | October 21, 2009 at 09:17 am

2526 views | 50 Recommendations | 7 comments

Police in Edmonton are responding to a hostage situation at the Workers' Compensation Board. According to reports, an armed man is holding between four to nine hostages at the WCB building located near the Alberta Legislature. A tall armed man reportedly entered the building at 8:30 this morning.

Police say that they have sealed off an eight-block area in downtown Edmonton and officer are currently speaking with the man in an effort to diffuse the Edmonton hostage situation.

One employee who got out of the building told CBC News reporter David Gerow that a tall bald man entered the building with a gun, and one shot was fired, but no one was injured.

An Edmonton radio station is reporting that the man is armed with a hunting rifle and that's he's willing to hand over a hostage in exchange for water and cigarettes. Other radio reports suggest that the man behind the Edmonton hostage situation may be seeking revenge against a doctor from the compensation board.

Here is raw video from the Edmonton hostage scene.

People who are looking for information about their loved ones who work at the Edmonton WCB building can call 780-421-3550.

1 See all footage | View Slideshow

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marianmo

at 09:48 on October 21st, 2009

hope this get this situation under control fast

jazzyzazzy

at 12:55 on October 21st, 2009

Not safe anywhere these days.all we can do is hope no one is hurt.

astfgl (not verified)

at 13:27 on October 21st, 2009

Geez, he only has a hunting rifle (I'm guessing bolt-action), and doesn't seem very competent (by going for a hostage situation in the first place). Is there no-one among the hostages proud enough to simply stab the guy and get on with the day? They already outnumber him 8-1. If history has shown anything, acting like frightened sheep is exactly the WRONG thing to do (cough*9-11*cough).Of course no-one is safe nowadays. No-one wants to take responsibility for their own safety. They just want the police to come and solve all of their problems...

albertacowpoke

at 13:53 on October 21st, 2009

Edmonton police have set up a special phone hot line at 780-421-3550 for those who have concerns about family members or loved ones who work inside the WCB building.

WCB released a statement shortly before 1 p.m. stating: "Staff have been evacuated and are safe. We can confirm that there are hostages and we are providing our full support to the police who are managing the issue. "

A WCB spokesperson told CTV News they believe that the gunman was a WCB claimant.

Tactical officers quickly surrounded the building, evacuating workers from all floors except the one where the gunman is located.

The police tactical unit, a negotiating team and officers from the local division descended on the area and began to evacuate people from the building.

"I was on the eighth floor and when we heard something happen, people started to try and leave and slowly people have been filtering out," said Chad who works on the eighth floor.

While there are no official reports of any shots being fired, witnesses tell CTV News that they heard a loud bang.

"One of the ladies that I work with she was in the elevator and she heard a loud bang. She came upstairs to tell us and we started looking out of the windows ourselves ... [we] saw all the police arriving," said Terri.

albertacowpoke

at 14:05 on October 21st, 2009

Update as of 3:51 pm MDST

EDMONTON - One of the hostages being held at gunpoint inside a downtown Edmonton building Wednesday has been released, according to a witness.

The witness was among a group of employees evacuated from the Workers Compensation Board building after an armed man entered it.

About nine people are still being held in the building, which is surrounded by police.

Negotiations are continuing.

There have been reports that the gunman, a disgruntled workers' compensation claimant, has fired at least one shot.

albertacowpoke

at 15:06 on October 21st, 2009

Police is negotiating with the gunman, witnesses say he came with a rifle. They have not or cannot confirm the number of hostages.

The gunman is reported to be a former construction worker who has a longstanding grudge with the Workmen's Compensation Board (WCB).

A Victim Services Unit has been set up to assist anyone that needs help.

albertacowpoke

at 04:14 on October 22nd, 2009

The hostage crisis ended just after 6pm MDST. No one was hurt, although the hostages did suffer some trauma.And while police have not provided any further detail about the man at the centre of the drama, CTV News received an e-mail earlier in the afternoon from a man who claimed to be the hostage taker. In the note, he claims he was injured by a doctor during a medical procedure and that he's been fighting to get a claim for the damage.

He wrote: "...Dealing with this for the last 5 years and have been heavily medicated (with) narcotics, painkillers and anti-inflammatories. Upon telling WCB caseworkers and supervisors about the doctor ripping my knee, I was told that I was a liar... Been fighting back and forth with WCB to give fairness one way or another with my mistreatment and was treated like s--t. They cut me off medications (and) had to resort to street drugs."