Report of armed man shuts Peace Arch border crossing

BLAINE, Wash. – A report that an armed and dangerous man might be headed north to the U.S.-Canada border prompted Canadian border guards to leave their posts Friday at three border crossings, backing up traffic for hours, a Canadian spokeswoman said.

Unarmed Canadian agents left their booths at the Peace Arch crossing near here, the nearby Pacific Highway crossing and the Sumas crossing, effectively closing those border points, at about 4:30 p.m. Friday. Canadian officials had received word about an armed and dangerous man “from our counterparts in the United States,” said Faith St. John, of Canada Border Services Agency.

She had no details about the armed man or precisely which U.S. agency had provided the warning.

The threat tip was still considered active, St. John said late Friday night.

By 10 p.m., all three of the crossings had reopened, and were being staffed by managers, with Royal Canadian Mounted Police on scene, St. John said.

Two lanes were open late Friday night at the Peace Arch border crossing, with four lanes open at the Pacific Highway crossing one mile east of Peace Arch.