When staff at a Highstreet Mall store watched a man accidentally drop a pistol and quickly pick it up and put it back in his jacket, they immediately called police.
Officers responded to the report at 7:50 p.m., April 30, and arrested a suspect who was in possession of a replica 1911 BB gun less than 30 minutes later. Police are now recommending charges of possession of a weapon dangerous to the public peace against a 39-year-old Abbotsford man.
“It’s dangerous to bring a gun – even if it’s a replica – into a store, or into the public.When it looks like an actual firearm, it alarms the community,” said Sgt. Judy Bird, media officer for Abbotsford Police Department.
Multiple police vehicles and an emergency response unit can be seen in the mall’s underground parking lot, in photos shared on social media.
When officers arrived on scene they searched the store, but the man was no longer there, according to Bird.
“We were conducting patrols in the area and we located him in the area of Creekside Drive,” Bird said. “There was no issue with his arrest; he didn’t fight us.”
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