Patrick Charles Clayton is shown after he was taken into custody on Wednesday evening. (Courtesy of the Edmonton Journal)

A man accused of taking people hostage at the Workers' Compensation Board building in downtown Edmonton wept Friday morning during his first appearance in court.

Patrick Charles Clayton, 38, faces 18 charges, including nine counts of unlawful confinement and six counts of pointing a firearm.

As he sat in the prisoner's box, Clayton constantly wiped his eyes with the sleeve of his blue coveralls from the Edmonton Remand Centre.

When the judge asked Clayton if he had a lawyer, he replied he couldn't afford one.

"I can't afford nothing," he said.

Clayton was remanded into custody and will return to court on Oct. 30.

Injured workers in the courtroom

About six injured workers were at the court appearance to show sympathy to people who are struggling with their compensation claims.

"I've never been treated more ignorantly in my life than by those people," said Jack Baird, who was injured on the job and ended up with a pinched nerve, which he said makes it impossible to lift a box over his head.

"They've tried to make me quit. They've tried to degrade me. They've mistreated me. They've talked down to me. They've done everything to mistreat a human being."

Ralph Teed, who headed an injured workers group that organized protests outside the compensation board's offices in the 1990s, was also in the courtroom for Clayton's appearance.

"Everything that we've ever done in our group was to try to retain peace," he said. "If you have somebody on the other side listening, this won't take place. But these people aren't listening."

No one was injured in the 10-hour standoff Wednesday that ended peacefully around 6:20 p.m.

The incident began just after 8:30 that morning after a man entered the WCB building and took nine people hostage, police said.

One hostage was released right away, and more were let go as negotiations with police proceeded over the day.