Ottawa police respond to Rideau Centre mall same day it reopens

Ottawa’s largest mall has been evacuated and a suspect has been arrested with a possible weapon, on the first day the shopping centre has been open since protests forced stores to shut down late last month. 

Police told people to avoid the area near the Rideau Centre just before 1 p.m. today “due to an ongoing police operation.”

They say they were responding to a shoplifting call.

On Twitter, the police wrote one person has been arrested and there is no outstanding suspect or threat to public safety.

The mall was forced to close when a convoy of protesters rolled into the city at the end of January, after the managers of the property called the situation downtown “untenable.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 22, 2022.

The Canadian Press