Rafal Gerszak/The Globe and Mail
After a long standoff, Vancouver police have arrested a man in a Downtown Eastside hotel following an alleged early-morning assault.
Constable Brian Montague of the Vancouver Police Department said the 53-year-old man was taken into custody at the Roosevelt Hotel shortly after noon on Monday.
He said the incident began at about 4:30 a.m. After the man confronted a woman at the hotel and allegedly "punched her in the face."
Const. Montague said police negotiators and mental health workers were called in after the man barricaded himself in his room.
"The man has a lengthy criminal history. He has mental health issues and has committed previous unprovoked and random attacks on his victims," said Const. Montague.
Mark Hume