Police surround a Winnipeg apartment building on Wednesday during a seven-hour standoff with a man in a second-floor suite. (CBC)

A standoff at an apartment building in Winnipeg's West End on Wednesday forced police to confine residents to their suites while two area schools were put under lockdown.

About a dozen police cars surrounded the building on Maryland Street between Ellice Avenue and Sargent Avenue as members of the tactical support team investigated reports that an armed man was inside one of the units.

"Apparently, one of my tenants was out drinking last night because I don't allow drinking on my premises. They came home, got in a fight, and apparently, now he's got a gun upstairs," Gary Tocher, the caretaker of the building, said during the morning when police negotiators attempted to convince the man to come out.

At one point, the man was seen hanging partway out of the window of his suite on the second floor, his leg dangling off the edge, said Tocher.

Officers were called to the apartment at about 6 a.m. and shortly before 1 p.m. the standoff ended peacefully when a man was handcuffed and escorted from the building.

During the seven-hour event, other residents of the building were told by police to stay inside and lock their doors.

Students and staff remained locked in their schools until the matter was resolved.

The 500 block of Maryland Street, closed to traffic during the incident, was reopened after the man was arrested.

There was no word from police on what charges the man is facing or whether a firearm was recovered.