Ottawa Hospital Riverside briefly locked down after weapon report
Two people taken into custody Friday morning after police responded to a code silver at the Riverside campus. No injuries reported.
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The Riverside campus of the Ottawa Hospital was briefly on lockdown Friday morning after staff initiated a code silver — the hospital's alert for someone on site with a weapon.
Police responded to reports of a person with a weapon at approximately 10:05 a.m. Two people were taken into custody, and the lockdown was lifted shortly after. No injuries were reported, and there is no known threat to public safety, according to a police statement.
Hospital staff and patients were directed to follow instructions from Ottawa Police Service and the hospital's protective services. Access to the hospital entrance was restricted as officers arrived. People on the fifth floor were directed downstairs during the response.
Amanda Arbeau, who was waiting for her brother undergoing surgery, witnessed the response. "They wouldn't let anybody in or out," she said. "It was pretty big. A lot of police presence."
A vendor on the hospital's main floor said she saw approximately 15 officers moving quickly through the building. Paramedics received the call from police but cancelled their response while en route, according to paramedic spokesperson Marc-Antoine Deschamps.
Patients with appointments at the Riverside campus are asked to arrive as scheduled. The hospital thanked staff and police for responding quickly and keeping everyone safe.