RCMP Arrest Suspect After Hours-Long Standoff in Beacon Hill

Update, December 23, 3:15 p.m.

Wood Buffalo RCMP have charged 53-year-old Michael Thompson of Fort McMurray in relation to an hours-long standoff in the Beacon Hill neighbourhood.

Thompson is facing charges of resisting/obstructing police, failure to comply with release conditions, and failure to comply with an undertaking. He remains in custody and is scheduled to appear before the Alberta Court of Justice on January 6, 2025.

FORT McMURRAY, Alta. — A male suspect is in custody following a lengthy standoff with police in the Beacon Hill area on Saturday.

Wood Buffalo RCMP were called to a residence on Beaverlodge Close after receiving a report of a potentially armed man inside a home and in breach of his release conditions.

Corporal Troy Savinkoff of the Alberta RCMP said officers made contact with the male, but the suspect did not respond to police commands. Officers cordoned off the area and brought in the RCMP Emergency Response Team, including a negotiator.

After several hours of unsuccessful negotiations, officers used tear gas to compel the suspect to exit the home. The man was subsequently arrested without injury.

RCMP have not disclosed the name of the suspect or the charges he is facing, as a judicial hearing must first take place.

The RCMP investigation is ongoing.