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A Stratford school was closed on Wednesday as city police negotiated with a man carrying a sheathed sword who had jumped into the nearby River Avon.
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Galen Simmons • Stratford Beacon Herald A section of St. Vincent de Stratford was locked for a few hours on Wednesday afternoon while police were negotiating with a man carrying a sheathed sword who had jumped into the nearby River Avon. (Galen Simmons / The Beacon Herald)
Content of the article
A Stratford school was closed on Wednesday as city police negotiated with a man carrying a sheathed sword who had jumped into the nearby River Avon.
Content of the article
Officers negotiated with the man, who appeared to be intoxicated and did not threaten anyone, for about two hours before he agreed to get out of the water and accept medical treatment, police said at the scene.
Stratford Middle School on St. Andrew closed.
“We weren’t sure what was going on, so we set (and) started negotiations. He spent about two hours in the water and now he’s giving up,” said Mark Taylor around 3 p.m. : 45 pm: “The sword was in a sheath all the time. No threats, only (seemed to be in) a controlled substance.
“The confinement at school was for the safety of the children, but, as I said, it stayed in the river, which was good.”
Students could be seen leaving the main entrance of the school in small groups shortly after 3pm once the police had their situation under control.
A section of St. Vincent behind the school was blocked by fire trucks and police cruisers, and TJ Dolan Drive from St. Vincent to Huron Street was closed while police negotiated with the man.
The Stratford Fire Department’s water rescue team was also on site, as were Perth County paramedics.
“I think he’s a little cold and I think he’s a little hypothermic, so he’s going to get some medical care, a mental health assessment,” Taylor said.
gsimmons@postmedia.com