A man who claimed his three-hour armed standoff at an Etobicoke Swiss Chalet last summer was to bring attention to homelessness will now reside in a federal prison.
Terrance McBurnie, 51, was sentenced to four years and nine months on Thursday after pleading guilty to various robbery and weapons-related offences.
On July 23, 2010, a man armed with a loaded sawed-off rifle entered a Swiss Chalet restaurant located at 1255 The Queensway, near Kipling Avenue, at about 4 p.m.
He sat down at a table and gave the server a note indicating he was armed and that people should leave.
People left the restaurant. However, the manager remained in his office, although it wasn't clear if the suspect knew that at the time.
Police responded by sending an Emergency Task Force unit, including a negotiator. They shut down access to the area.
As the standoff entered its fourth hour, McBurnie walked out after speaking with the negotiator. With weapons drawn, ETF officers arrested him.
The restaurant's manager also emerged afterward, with a smile on his face.
No shots were fired and no one was injured in the incident.
McBurnie was living out of his van at the time of the standoff.
With files from The Canadian Press
