Hamilton police charge man with possession of an explosive device following confrontation outside mall

A man is facing an explosives-related charge following a confrontation with police in a mall parking lot early Monday morning, Hamilton police say.

Police said they were called at around 5 a.m. for a report of a person in crisis in the Lime Ridge Mall parking lot.

When officers arrived, police allege they found a man alone in a car. The area was sealed off so officers could speak to the man, police said.

“Moments before 8 a.m., without warning the male attempted to leave the parking lot striking police vehicles and barricades,” a police news release said. “His vehicle was contained by police as it entered Upper Wentworth Street.”

The man was taken into custody on Upper Wentworth Street without incident and was sent to the hospital for treatment, police said.  The man’s condition has not been released.

No police officers were injured during the incident, police said.

After the man was taken out of the car, police said officers searching the vehicle found “a suspicious device” inside.

“The Emergency Response Unit attended the scene, investigated the device and confirmed it was a device built with the intent to explode and rendered it inoperable,” police said.

Later in the afternoon, police said investigators used a search warrant to enter a residence in the area of Concession Street and Upper Sherman Avenue where they say they found additional evidence related to the incident outside the mall.

A 44-year-old Hamilton man has been charged with being in possession of an explosive device, police said. He will appear in court on Tuesday.