Brian Whitlock, 28, has been charged with second-degree murder in the death of a woman found inside a home on Vancouver's West Side.

Police have not identified the victim, but the home is registered to Barbara Whitlock, the suspect's mother.

Whitlock was taken into custody Sunday morning following an eight-hour long police standoff after barricading himself inside the residence at 3171 West 23rd Avenue.

Whitlock admitted to beating his German shepherd dog Captain with a baseball bat and leaving it to die in a Kitsilano dumpster. In 2013 ​

During Whitlock's sentencing hearing, his lawyer told the court his client was suffering from mental illness. Whitlock was sentenced to 60 days in jail.

Police spokesperson Const. Brian Montague says police received a 911 call at about 8:30 p.m. PT Saturday after a body was found in the home.

"The body was discovered by a relative of the deceased," said Montague. "Our emergency response team and some negotiators arrived at the home because the suspect was still on scene and had barricaded himself inside the house."

He was trying to get out the top window but they had the whole place completely surrounded. - Neighbour Randy Thompson

Montague says Whitlock was arrested shortly before 5 a.m. PT Sunday after coming out of the house, but police had to fire a round from an Arwen gun because he was non-compliant. The Arwen gun fires a plastic projectile.

He was checked by paramedics and medically cleared, said Montague.

Man lit small fires inside home

Neighbour Randy Thompson says he first heard police on the bullhorn around 11 p.m. PT.

"And there were police cars everywhere. They were trying to talk him out to come out and at first you heard him talking back to them but then not for quite a while," said Thompson.

Barbara Whitlock's body was found in her home on West 23rd Avenue. (CBC)

"Then he was trying to get out the top window but they had the whole place completely surrounded. I saw when they took him out and someone else came out on a stretcher."

Thompson says his friends came over to his place after police began clearing other residences nearby.

"They told everyone over there to get out of their houses. They thought he was going to burn the house down."

Montague confirms the neighbour's account.

"During the standoff, there was some indication there may be some mental health issues here," he said.

"That’s something we’ll be looking into through the course of the investigation. My understanding is there were some small fires lit inside the house."

Whitlock is scheduled to make his first appearance in a Vancouver provincial court Monday.

See Google map of West 23rd Avenue and Balaclava Street