A standoff between police and a Toronto resident has that saw the suspect perched on the rooftop of a home for nearly 24 hours has ended with him facing nine charges.

The man refused to come down from the roof of a townhouse at 40 Redfox Pl. in the city's east end, but was finally coaxed down at around 9:15 a.m. Neighbours were relieved to see a happy ending.

He first climbed to the roof at around 8:50 a.m. on Thursday. He got up by carving a hole through the roof of the house and climbing through to the outside.  His cousin Rondine Alexander got a call from police on Thursday.

"They said, 'Your cousin's on the roof and he said for you to come. You're the only person who can get him off the roof,'" she told CTV Toronto.

"All he kept saying is that he wanted to be shot," a neighbour said. "This is a person who is crying out for help," added Alexander.

Police said the man came down after talking with trained psychiatrists.

"We didn't use any overt force simply because of the dangers that were involved," said Staff Insp. David Marks. "He was in a precarious position, and it was quite obvious that if we did, somebody would have been seriously injured."

Two officers suffered minor injuries as they helped the man down. The man was taken to a local hospital for a medical examination.

Police say the man has not been charged in the case but that charges are pending.

Meanwhile, the community says they're happy with the way police handled the situation.

"They did a good job," said one man. "If not, the guy would jump from the roof."

Rodion Steven Roberts, 44, of Toronto faces the following charges:

  • mischief
  • failure to comply with a recognizance
  • mischief, interfering with property
  • two counts of assault with intent to resist arrest
  • two counts of assaulting a peace officer
  • disarming a police officer
  • failure to comply with a probation order

He appeared in court on Friday afternoon.

Meanwhile, his girlfriend faces a $10,000 repair bill -- something that insurance won't cover because the damage is seen as a malicious act.

With a report from CTV Toronto's Galit Solomon