Nanaimo RCMP responded with guns drawn after receiving reports of a man with a firearm at Port Place shopping centre yesterday.
According to a press release, officers were called out to the downtown mall at about 3:30 p.m. Thursday.
RCMP arrested two men, but released one after determining he was not the suspect. The other, a 45-year-old man, was taken into custody and a pellet gun was found in nearby bushes.
“This was considered a high-risk situation for the attending officers and accordingly, their service pistols were drawn during the arrests. Thankfully, for all involved, the situation was resolved peacefully and in a timely manner,” said Const. Gary O’Brien, Nanaimo RCMP spokesman, in the release.
Police say there were no reports that the man who had been in possession of the gun had made any threats or pointed the gun at anyone, so “the individual was not charged with any firearm or criminal offence, and later released from custody.”
The pellet gun was seized and will be destroyed according to policy.
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