Anyone with information about this alleged crime is asked to call Nanaimo RCMP at 250-754-2345. (File photo)

Thief steals shotgun and rifle after smashing vehicle window in downtown Nanaimo

Hotel guest had left weapons overnight in a case in the back seat of an SUV

Nanaimo RCMP are looking for a stolen rifle and shotgun and the person who took them.

According to police, a British-made shotgun and a Savage 300 lever-action rifle with a scope were taken Monday, April 5, from an SUV parked overnight in downtown Nanaimo while the owner, from Williams Lake, was staying at the Coast Bastion Hotel.

Police say the weapons were contained in a sand-coloured plastic rifle case that was on the back seat of the SUV, and had been left there overnight. The thief smashed the vehicle’s rear passenger-side window sometime before 5:30 a.m.

“A male was located at the scene, unrelated to that incident. No charges were laid against him…” said Const. Gary O’Brien, Nanaimo RCMP spokesman. “We’re very concerned by the fact that there are firearms in our community that were stolen and the sooner we get them back the better.”

The serial number for the Savage 300 is 743265; no serial number was available for the shotgun.

Anyone with information about the firearms or the theft is asked to call the Nanaimo RCMP non-emergency line at 250-754-2345.

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Nanaimo News Bulletin