Police released a photo on Friday of a man they thought had barricaded himself inside a townhouse in the Ottawa neighbourhood of Bells Corners.

When they stormed the townhouse on Thursday after an apparent 14-hour standoff, Trevor Provost was not inside.

Police are looking for Trevor Provost.
Police are looking for Trevor Provost.

As of Friday morning, police were still looking for Provost, 35, for whom they have an arrest warrant.

Police surrounded the house on Richmond Road near Moodie Drive at about midnight on Wednesday, intending to arrest the man for an earlier domestic assault and uttering threats.

A man was in the house at that time and refused to leave, police said. They believed he was alone and unarmed.

Early Thursday morning, armed police officers cleared people out of townhouses on both sides of the residence, although many people stayed in the area to watch.

Ottawa Police surrounded the townhouse at about midnight on Wednesday.
Ottawa Police surrounded the townhouse at about midnight on Wednesday.
(CBC)
Meanwhile, they shouted at the house through a megaphone, asking the man to come out with his hands up.

Eventually, police officers obtained a new warrant that allowed them to search the house.

They smashed the clasp of the front door with a sledgehammer.

Then they threw a volley of tear gas into the house and continued to shout for the man to come out — but drew no response.

Finally, at about noon, the officers broke down the door.

CBC reporters outside heard the sound of gunshots from inside the house.

It turned out that officers found two pit bulls and shot them dead.

What they did not find was the man they were looking for, despite searching the house from top to bottom, said Const. Steven Desjourdy.

"Police searched the whole building, including the attic. There are no holes in the walls to suppose that he did go into another apartment. So we can only suppose that he might have left last night."

The man presumably escaped despite the fact that police had the house surrounded since Wednesday night.

Fifteen to 20 police officers left the scene after the thorough, but futile search.

Police continue searching for the Ottawa man.