Standoff with armed man in south London hotel ends peacefully

A standoff with a man armed with weapons inside a south London hotel room ended peacefully Wednesday morning. 

Police at the Days Inn on Wellington Road South said the situation was resolved at around 6 a.m. after a night of negotiations. No one was injured and no one was taken into custody, an officer at the scene said. 

The standoff forced the closure Tuesday afternoon of Wellington Road between Bradley and Dearness Drive. The road reopened Wednesday morning.

"The information we have is that he's got some weapons," Const. Joel Davis told CBC News early Wednesday morning. "When we started interacting with him last night we had concerns for his safety, so we've been negotiating with him throughout the night."

At 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, dozens of heavily armed police surrounded the south London hotel and shut down a section of Wellington Road South, a major north-south artery into the city. 

"It's obviously very complex and we're being very tactful," said Davis at the time. "I would say it will go on for as long as it needs to do to ensure this ends safely."

Davis confirmed the man was alone in a room. There was no threat to public safety and no one has been injured, he said.

Guests staying at the hotel were told to evacuate the premises and were not allowed back inside as the evening went on. Vikas Lather was in the city for work and was staying at the Days Inn for the night. 

Lather said he had to wait outside and couldn't access his car because it was surrounded by police cruisers which didn't allow anyone to pass through. The second floor of the building was closed off to the public as police investigate, he said. 

"I've been standing out here since 5 p.m. When I arrived back at the hotel, police were already here and everyone else was standing outside," Lather said. "They weren't allowing me to go inside my room, and I was told to wait outside until they finish."

Many businesses in the area had to close, including a Boston Pizza right next to the hotel. Staff said this was disappointing, as they were expecting a busy night but had to close at around 7 p.m.

"We were hoping it would be a busy night at work because we were going really steady but things got cut short and that sucks for business," said Seth Vandongen, a cook at the restaurant. 

Vandongen said he doesn't know much about the incident, but it prompted his manager to close early to ensure the safety of customers and staff. Customers who were already at the restaurant before the incident were allowed to remain inside, he said.