A 33-year-old man faces a multitude of charges after a routine traffic stop saw a Kelowna RCMP officer find a stash of guns, including a loaded handgun, Friday evening.
At 10:45 p.m. a Kelowna RCMP member working with an auxillary officer stopped the driver of a grey Mercury Sable who had been driving without a headlight on Highway 33.
The driver initially sped away when the officer tried to stop him, but the police officer found the car on Davie Road and approached the driver as he was seen making a quick move for the trunk.
“Concerned the driver was attempting to retrieve a weapon, the police officer drew his service pistol and demanded the man stop what he was doing,” said Cnst. Kris Clark, Kelowna RCMP spokesperson, in a statement released Monday.
The man was arrested without incident, but a search of the vehicle revealed nine firearms were inside, four of of which were loaded, and thousands of rounds of ammunition. The handgun inside the passenger area of the car is a restricted weapon, requiring a permit to transport it that the individual did not have at the time of the incident and all of the guns should have been locked in cases, without being loaded, before being placed in the vehicle.
A search warrant was later executed at the man’s residence and two other firearms seized.
The man faces numerous potential charges including flight from police, careless use of a firearm, possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose and mischief.
