A man who brought a loaded rifle into a Swiss Chalet restaurant at a shopping plaza in Toronto's west end surrendered peacefully to police Friday after nearly four hours.

Police escorted the middle-aged man, dressed in a white dress shirt and blue jeans, from the entrance of the restaurant at 1255 The Queensway in Etobicoke at about 7:30 p.m. ET after he agreed to come out.

A few minutes later, the store's manager walked out of the Swiss Chalet unharmed with his hands up in the air, the CBC's Jermaine Hylton reported from the scene.

The manager, whose name wasn't released, had locked himself in an office in the restaurant to protect himself, said Const. Tony Vella.

The other man, also unidentified, will face criminal charges. Following the arrest, police searched and found a loaded rifle inside the restaurant.

Earlier Friday, Staff Sgt. Glen Dewling at 22 Division told CBC News that police were dispatched to the shopping plaza after receiving a call shortly after 4 p.m. They were told a man presented a note to a worker inside the restaurant and the note indicated he had a gun.

Police said the Swiss Chalet was evacuated but they would not confirm reports there was a hostage at the time.

Officers with the Emergency Task Force and SWAT, as well as firefighters, were at the scene and blocked off the area at Queensway and Kipling Avenue. They warned people to stay away from the area.

The Toronto Transit Commission also diverted buses away from the area.

With files from The Canadian Press