FRIENDS of a man who sparked a four-hour siege and a lockdown of city streets in the heart of Adelaide on Thursday described him as a top bloke who had “a few issues” after breaking up with a girlfriend.

The man, 45, was detained under the Mental Health Act and is being treated in Royal Adelaide Hospital after heavily-armed police negotiated a peaceful end to a tense situation at the Carrington Cottages, near the intersection of Carrington and Pulteney streets.

Paramedics and STAR Group officers ushered the man, strapped to an ambulance stretcher, out the side entrance of the cottages on Princess St about 3pm.

No weapons were reported, a police spokesman said.

Friend and resident Paul Knight said his downstairs neighbour “got grumpy sometimes’’.

“He’s a top bloke but he’s doing it a bit hard ‘cos he just busted up with his girlfriend,’’ Mr Knight said.

“He called out to me twice (during the siege) but I was told not to come out of my room.

“I’m just glad he got out of here okay and that he’s all right.’’

Alex, assistant manager of the Sister’s of Mercy halfway house for unemployed and homeless single men, said the man had lived in a single cottage for about six months and got on well with other residents.

He said the incident was “highly unusual’’ at Carrington Cottages, which is run in partnership with Housing SA.

“It’s just a low-income boarding house for people. It’s a not-for-profit organisation trying to do the best we can for people,’’ said Alex, who did not give his surname.

“Unfortunately, sometimes people don’t fit in.

“They (other residents) don’t like this sort of disturbance, nobody does. It affects everybody.

“These guys don’t need public (attention) they don’t need to be on TV or anything else.

“How would you feel if you had the STAR force outside your house, kicking you out because somebody you had in your house had done something. It’s not a good thing.’’

STAR Group officers and other police surrounded the cottages, evacuated nearby businesses and closed Carrington St to traffic while negotiators talked to the man.

Police entered the building about 2pm then paramedics followed about an hour later and the emergency ended.