Busy three hours for Durham police

Durham police were kept busy on Jan. 26 when three calls for an armed person came in over a three-hour span.

The first came at approximately 5 p.m., when police were called to a residence on Oxford Street in Oshawa for a man armed with both a machete and a baseball bat. According to police, the male was seen damaging a vehicle with one of the weapons, but fled before they arrived.

The next came at 7:48 p.m., when officers were called to a residence in the Rossland Road West and Westney Road North area in Ajax for a distraught 21-year-old male brandishing a machete. Police say they were able to engage him in conversation and have him surrender peacefully.

The final call came shortly after at about 8 p.m., with officers sent to a residence in the Taunton Road East and Harmony Road North area in Oshawa. According to police, a 14-year-old male with mental health issues had locked himself in a room and had a knife. The teen’s parents were able to disarm him before police arrived. He was then taken to hospital for assessment.

The investigation into the first incident is ongoing. Police are asking anyone with information to contact the Central East Division at 1-888-579-1520, ext. 2700.