A 10-hour standoff outside a Ladner residence ended peacefully Wednesday night.

Delta police were called to home in the 4600-block of 51st Street at about 10: 55 a.m. after a report that an emotionally distressed man with a firearm had barricaded himself in a detached garage on the property.

Shortly after police got the call, a large area surrounding the home was cordoned off while many heavily armed

police officers and the Municipal Integrated Emergency Response Team descended on the scene. At one point early in the afternoon, police officers could be heard over a loud speaker urging the man to open the door, telling him he would not be hurt.

Delta police negotiators were also brought in and communicated with the distraught man via cell phone for several hours, trying to talk him out of the garage.

Just before 9 p.m., he sur-rendered to police without incident and officers seized the firearm.

Delta police spokesperson Const. Ciaran Feenan said the suspect, who remains in custody, was taken to Delta Hospital for medical assessment. He said the man, who is not being identified at this time, will also undergo a psychological assessment.

"It is too early into the investigation to speculate in what criminal charges may result due to the incident," Feenan said.

"Without any doubt, it came to a good conclusion," he said.

The residence is in proximity to three schools and as a precaution Delta Secondary as well as Port Guichon and Ladner elementaries were put on lockdown for a number of hours during the incident.

At about 11: 40 a.m., DSS was put on a "Code Red" lockdown, which means all doors and windows are locked, the blinds are drawn and no one is allowed to enter or exit the school. Port Guichon was put on a "Code Yellow" lockdown, which means all students are kept inside and the doors and windows are locked.

At around 1 p.m., the lockdown at Port Guichon was lifted.

Ladner Elementary was also put on a "Code Yellow" lockdown at 1: 30 p.m., which extended until the end of the school day when a controlled dismissal of students was carried out.

The lockdown at DSS, the closest school to the incident, continued until about 3: 30 p.m. while police and the school district worked on an evacuation plan. Students and staff were evacuated classby-class and transported by bus to Sacred Heart School. Parents and caregivers were directed to pick up their children at Sacred Heart.

"At no time were any of the students at risk," Feenan said.

One DSS student said that early on students were told the lockdown was not due to an incident at the school and they were not in danger.

Many were texting, tweeting and posting to Facebook from inside the school. A couple of DSS parents that came to the scene seemed calm and said the situation was more of an inconvenience.

In a letter to parents Thursday morning, principal Terry Ainge thanked staff, students and parents for their understanding and support during the incident.

"Students were highly cooperative and conducted themselves in a mature and responsible manner."

jkerr@delta-optimist.com