Oceanside RCMP responded quickly on Tuesday morning (March 2) to a report of a gun-wielding man in Parksville and took a 43-year-old man into custody.
Police spokesman Cpl. Jesse Foreman said they received a call from a man who claimed to have just been assaulted and threatened with a firearm. He reported the event occurred in Parksville, near the walking trails that connect Springwood Park and Church Road.
Officers surrounded the area and called in Police Dog Services (PDS). At 11:35 a.m., the suspect was spotted by an officer on Fairdowne Road and immediately arrested without incident.
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PDS tracked from the scene to the location of the arrest and located an item resembling a firearm. The suspect, a Parksville man, is well-known to police and the caller was also arrested as he had outstanding arrest warrants.
As a result of their relative proximity to the event, two schools, Springwood Elementary and the Discover Montessori School, were notified of the unfolding incident and asked to shelter in place and get children indoors.
“Public and police safety are top of mind with the police, this is especially true when there are firearms involved. We were glad to have resolved this incident quickly,” said Foreman.
— NEWS Staff
