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Officers used a Taser to arrest a person who came out of a residential building near Woodroffe and Baseline on Thursday morning wielding a sword, the Ottawa Police Service says.

Police were called to the multi-unit building in the city’s west end shortly before 7:45 a.m.

When they arrived, officers could hear screaming and “items being thrown around,” according to a news release.

The police statement described the individual who emerged from the building armed with the sword as distressed. The Taser was deployed after officers tried to communicate with the person, the release said.

“There was a threat towards the environment,” Ottawa police spokesperson Chuck Benoit said of the situation. “At that level, the Taser is the best option.”

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Benoit said the police service is not disclosing whether the individual in question is a man or woman at this point in their investigation.

No charges have been laid, he said.

Benoit said all Ottawa police officers are equipped with a Taser and are trained in how to use them.