A 25-year-old man was arrested Thursday morning as police responded to reports of a bomb at the Coquitlam homeless shelter.
Coquitlam RCMP responded to a call at the RainCity Housing shelter at 3030 Gordon Ave. at 8:45 a.m. and had one man in custody by 9:08 a.m., said Const. Jamie Phillipson. Incidents that occurred during that time prompted police to evacuate the shelter and several surrounding businesses.
Information suggested the man had visited the probation office in Port Coquitlam earlier that morning, prompting police to also evacuate the provincial court house and probation office.
The RCMP Explosives Disposal Unit and the Integrated Police Dog Services Section investigated the areas in Coquitlam and PoCo but found no explosive devices; the evacuations were lifted just after noon.
Bill Briscall, communications manager for RainCity Housing, which operates 3030 Gordon Ave., said staff were hoping to get back into the building soon.
Asked if there were any concerns about the security of the building and surrounding areas, Briscall said the police response was associated "to the person in question and not to the state of the building."
Despite early opposition to the homeless shelter, which was in the works from 2009 until it opened over the winter, the community has since welcomed the facility with donations for books, a computer work station and more, he said. Briscall said the surrounding businesses meet with RainCity Housing monthly and more than 40 people attended a recent volunteer fair.
"I'd say things are going really well," he said.
The 25-year-old man remains in police custody and could be facing criminal charges.
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