By Rafe Wright
Special to The Guardian
CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. - An inn near the Charlottetown harbour was the scene of police activity that involved several armed officers and the use of tear gas on Thursday, Feb. 25.
Over the noon hour several police vehicles from the Charlottetown Police Services street crime unit began blocking off intersections leading to the Inn On The Harbour, located on the corner of Hillsborough and Water Streets in Charlottetown.
Four to five police officers wearing gas masks were seen entering the building. A tenant living on the lower floor said she was asleep when the police entered the property.
The tenant, who wishes to remain anonymous, woke up after police had arrived.
“When they came in, they rushed the place,” she said.
She pointed to a window that had been broken in the residence. She thought the break might be due to a gas canister from the police.
“They meant serious business, they weren’t messing around,” she said.
Police posted a notice on the front door of the inn saying that tear gas had been used on the property.
The neighbour was unaffected by the gas but said she was scared at the time.
“I was anxious to get out of there, I couldn’t leave,” she said. “I didn’t think that would have happened here.”
The manager of the inn was not able to be reached by the time of publishing.
Charlottetown Police Deputy Chief Sean Coombs declined to comment, saying that further details would be released on the Charlottetown Police Services' website on Friday.