3 arrested after armed standoff in downtown St. John's that scrubbed Santa Claus parade
Standoff prompts postponement of annual Christmas parade
The Royal Newfoundland Constabulary says three people have been arrested following an armed standoff on Brazil Street in St. John's on Sunday.
In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, shortly before 4 p.m. NT, the RNC says the situation was resolved peacefully.
No other details were provided, though the police say they will remain in the area as the investigation continues.
Speaking with CBC News on Sunday evening, RNC media relations officer James Cadigan said more information will be provided in the days to come.
Earlier in the day, the armed standoff led to the postponement of the annual St. John's Christmas parade.
The announcement to postpone the parade was made a half-hour before the parade was supposed to start.
Cadigan said the timing of the announcement was due to the unpredictable nature of the situation on Brazil Street.
"When we're responding to a weapons offence, we are looking to communicate with individuals inside of the property, in this case a property on Brazil Street," Cadigan said.
"With limited communication and limited information, we are unable to really predict as to how long an event will play out.… Unfortunately, we had to make decisions based on the information we have. We certainly feel it's unfortunate that an event had to be postponed. However, our priority is the safety and security of our community and the safety of anybody who may have frequented that area."
Around 8:30 a.m., police asked people to avoid the Brazil Street area, specifically the block containing LeMarchant Road, Casey Street and Barters Hill.
At the time, officers had contained a property and were communicating with people inside. However, the police say they still had safety concerns due to the high volume of both vehicle and foot traffic that the parade would bring to the area.
Several police vehicles were in the Brazil Street area, including a tactical unit truck.
Gaylynne Gulliver, special events manager for business association Downtown St. John's, said the police asked them to shut down the event in the interest of public safety.
"There's no need for anybody to panic," Gulliver said, speaking from the area where the parade was supposed to begin.
"But we've been asked to evacuate all of our parade people out of the downtown because we have an extra 50,000 people coming here this afternoon for this event."
Gulliver said the organization enacted its emergency plan.
"Our shuttles have stopped bringing people into downtown St. John's. The shuttles are now … coming to Harbour Drive," she said.
In a post on X, Downtown St. John's said, "The cancellation of the event is to prevent risk to the community and the thousands of spectators passing through the area."
The parade is now slated to go ahead next Sunday at noon.
A march in support of Palestinians in the ongoing Israel-Hamas war scheduled for Sunday afternoon was also postponed until next weekend.
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With files from William Ping, Terry Roberts, John Gushue, Sarah Blackmore and Jo-Ann Dooley
