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Four-hour armed standoff in Fonthill ends without injury

Pelham man faces five charges after arrest
Armed
Emergency Task Unit officers stand down after Michael Roosma, 29, was taken in custody on Saturday night. JASON KEZAR PHOTO

A 29-year-old man is in police custody following a tense, four-hour standoff Saturday night in Fonthill that forced the evacuation of several nearby homes. Police were called to an address on Pelham Street near the intersection of Spruceside Crescent and Bacon Lane around 7:30 PM over reports of a disturbance. There they encountered an armed man, who, according to a Niagara Regional Police statement, discharged a firearm within the home in the direction of responding officers.

The escalated situation then drew a massive police response, including the Emergency Task Unit, hostage negotiators, canine unit, and traffic enforcement. NRP Media Relations Specialist Stephanie Sabourin also confirmed to the Voice that Hamilton Police attended the scene with their armoured rescue vehicle, which was ultimately not used.

During the standoff, Voice monitoring of an NRPS radio frequency described the barricaded man as unwilling to “leave the house alive.” A police officer who declined to be named told the Voice that one concern was the potential for a deliberate natural gas explosion inside the house.

The standoff led police to close all roadways into the area, and order the evacuations of nearby residents or tell them to shelter in place.

Madi Moon, a Toronto resident visiting his mother’s home on Fallingbrook Drive, which runs parallel with Pelham Street, said police rang the doorbell at 8:35 and told them to leave.

“A uniformed officer said that there was an ongoing situation two blocks away and asked us to leave the area for two hours without taking the South Pelham-Spruceside Crescent exit.”

Others were told to leave as well. Moon said he and his mother gave a ride to an elderly neighbour before subsequently spending most of the night at a Tim Hortons in Welland, monitoring the situation over social media.

Resident Jason Kezar, who lives near the intersection of Pelham and Bacon, was out with his camera watching the scene unfold.

“At some point [the police] moved their cars back and opened the barricade a bit and were pulling out spike strips,” he said, “making it seem like they thought he might try to run and drive away, which seemed odd. All pretty crazy stuff to see in Fonthill.”

After lengthy negotiations, at about 11:45 PM, police successfully took the man into custody. Continual updates over police radio described the man walking out of the house holding what was described as a cellphone in one hand. The man was argumentative with police over a period of approximately 10 minutes before eventually being taken into custody. Police say that no one was injured in the incident.

Michael Roosma, 29, was arrested and charged with two counts of discharging a firearm with intent, one count of pointing a firearm, one count of possession of a weapon for dangerous purpose, and one count uttering threats of death or bodily harm. He was scheduled to attend a bail hearing via video on Sunday.