Charges laid in Portage standoff

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This article was published 19/07/2017 (2469 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Two men have been charged by the RCMP in relation to an armed standoff at a home in Portage la Prairie earlier this week.

At about 11:30 p.m. July 17, Portage RCMP received a report of a suspicious man in a white car in the driveway of a house on Oak Bay, and discovered a man inside the home with a firearm. The RCMP’s emergency response team (ERT), police dog services and negotiators were called to the house at midnight.

RCMP determined four people were in the house, but the number of firearms wasn’t known. Police tried to enter the home, but couldn’t get past barricades set up inside. Despite police instruction, nobody exited.

Police then deployed tear gas and two women who lived in the house, aged 16 and 25, left and were arrested by police. The two men who have now been charged remained inside and reinforced their barricade. The ERT then forcibly entered and arrested them.

All four residents suffered minor injuries during the incident and one man was taken to hospital and released. The two women have been released and are being treated by police as witnesses, and possibly victims.

Francis Markus Beaulieu, 27, is facing 12 charges, including uttering threats, possession of property obtained by crime and numerous firearm-related charges. Beaulieu also appears to be involved in the July 15 theft of the white car parked in the home’s driveway. RCMP believe the car was stolen from the same residence on Oak Bay, and the vehicle has since been recovered.

Joel John Beaudin, also 27, is charged with possession of a controlled substance (methamphetamine) and failure to comply with recognizance.

The investigation is ongoing and more charges could be laid, police say.

ben.waldman@freepress.mb.ca