Timmins spent a tense day Wednesday as heavily-armed police shut down a large part of the city’s west end over fears a gunman was holed up in the Canadian Tire.
Those fears turned out to be unfounded, but the military-style response by city police and Ontario Provincial Police kept the city and Northern Ontario glued to news about the standoff.
Robin Allen had a front-row view from inside the police perimeter, having been told by police to stay inside the Esso Truck Stop where she works - across from Canadian Tire.
“(We were) just told to say at work, don't go looking around. Take the detour if we were going home for lunch and back. Report any suspicious people or activities in our yard to police,” said Allen.
She said the scene was “like a movie.”
“I actually thought it was pretty cool. With snipers, helicopters, K-9 and everything,” said Allen.
The police response had the community on edge for 17 hours Wednesday, with police and the city's mayor urging the public not to share photos of police positions on social media.
Allen said she and her coworkers handled the situation well.
“It was ok, (it) didn't bother us one bit, we knew the police had it handled and they didn't evacuate our building or my husband's work building, so we knew we were safe,” said Allen, in an email to TimminsToday.
The latest from police is that the suspect in the Canadian Tire break-in is still at large, having stolen an unknown quantity of firearms from the store.
Police have said they have video surveillance footage of the suspect, but no description has been issued.
Police believe the suspect in the 4:30 a.m. break-in may have escaped in the moments prior to the area being secured.
(PHOTO: A cellphone photo shows Robin Allen's view from inside the Esso Truck Stop during Wednesday's police response. Photo submitted)
