3 of 9 charged in Ottawa hotel standoff remain in custody
Last Updated: Monday, November 23, 2009 | 5:08 PM ET
CBC News
Police received a call about a disturbance at the Minto Suite Hotel around 4 a.m. Sunday. Nine people have been charged in connection with the seven-hour standoff. Three men charged after a standoff with police at a downtown Ottawa hotel this weekend are back in custody after a brief court appearance Monday.
The three men in their 20s have all been charged with mischief and obstructing police. They were among nine people arrested after locking themselves in a room on the third floor of the Minto Suite Hotel on Lyon Street Sunday morning.
The seven-hour standoff forced some of the hotel's guests to wait outside for hours.
One of the men charged, Adulaziz Hezam Abdullah, who is originally from Calgary, also faces six counts of weapons-related charges.
The other two men face additional charges of breaching court-imposed conditions.
All three are expected to remain in police custody until a bail hearing later this week.
The Crown attorney said she plans to oppose bail for Abdullah, who had recently been released from jail after serving a sentence related to a non-fatal drive-by shooting outside an Ottawa Tim Hortons in January 2008. Abdullah was a passenger in the car involved.
The six other accused were also charged with mischief and obstructing police. They were released and are due in court at a later date.
Police received a call around 4 a.m. about a party in a room on the third floor of the hotel after a handgun was seen in the room, said Ottawa police Staff Sgt. Steve Bell. He could not say whether the call was made by someone inside the room.
Police said no hostage taking or assault took place. However, the people inside the room refused to leave, and officers spent hours negotiating by telephone until they agreed to give themselves up around 11 a.m.
Once they got in the room, police found five men, including one discovered hiding in the bedroom, and four women. All nine were arrested following an investigation.
Bell confirmed that police also seized a firearm from the room.
Karina Vandervenne of Brampton, Ont., was one of the guests forced to wait while police talked to the individuals holed up in the hotel room. She was staying in a room on the third floor of the hotel and heard a group of girls going down the hall into their room around 3 a.m. Sunday, followed by a group of guys.
About half an hour later, the front desk called and ask her to leave the room, van der Venne recalled as she waited to get back into the hotel Sunday morning.
