NEW WESTMINSTER (NEWS1130) – A standoff that began at about 6 a.m. today outside the Starlight Casino in New Westminster has ended with a man being shot.

Shortly before 11 a.m., there was a loud bang; soon after, an ambulance raced by.

“The suspect was in the back of the ambulance on his way to hospital,” says New Westminster Police Inspector Phil Eastwood.

The man has serious injuries and the Independent Investigations Office is now handling the case.

“An officer-involved shooting occurred and as a result, the male sustained serious injuries and was transported to hospital,” reads a release from the IIO.

The man had been sitting on the ground outside the casino, talking to police on his cell phone for hours.

A woman who was with the man in a car at some point this morning is safe. Officers are not saying how she knows the man who was shot.

No one else was hurt in the incident.

“While there is no immediate danger to the public at large, they are requested to respect the police barricades that are set up around the area,” read a release from police earlier today.

Standoff caused traffic chaos

The Queensborough Bridge was closed in both directions for about five hours. It has since re-opened.

However, it caused major headaches for morning commuters; some were stuck in traffic for more than an hour as they tried to figure out how to get where they were going.

Al was watching the chaos during his morning walk. “Cars were just parked there with nobody in it!”

Police say they were just following protocol and shut down the busy Queensborough Bridge over fears it was too close to the incident.