A report of a man brandishing a firearm drew a rapid and heavy response to a home near Bowen Park in Nanaimo on Thursday morning.
Nanaimo RCMP rushed to the Doric Avenue home, near First Street, shortly before 8 a.m. when, according to police, a woman called saying she was in a residence with a man brandishing a firearm.
One witness reported she and her husband came out of their home to go to work and encountered an RCMP officer with her firearm drawn who told them to get off the street.
More police were seen with weapons near the north end of Doric Avenue.
Const. Gary O’Brien, Nanaimo RCMP spokesman, said, upon investigation the firearm report proved to be false and was made by a woman experiencing a mental health crisis. She was detained under the Mental Health Act and taken to hospital for treatment.
The home was searched and officers confirmed there was no one else in the residence nor any firearms.
“There was indication there was a firearm so, of course, we had to approach on that basis,” O’Brien said. “Public safety is always paramount.”
