VicPD seized a handgun and ammunition May 7. (VicPD handout)

VicPD seized a handgun and ammunition May 7. (VicPD handout)

Traffic stop by Victoria police yields loaded handgun on driver

Police say driver was impaired by drugs, issue driving prohibition

  • May. 8, 2020 12:00 a.m.

VicPD seized a loaded handgun after what started as a routine impaired driving investigation Thursday night.

Officers were deployed as part of the VicPD response to rising property crime in the Burnside Gorge neighbourhood and to concerns in the Topaz Park area, according to a VicPD news release.

On May 7 around 10 p.m., officers spotted a driver who failed to stop for “a traffic control device” in the 2900-block of Douglas Street. Officers pulled over the car and noted evidence the driver was impaired by drugs. Police took the driver into custody and a search revealed a loaded handgun in his pocket, police say.

The driver initially tried to convince the officer who discovered the handgun that it was a lighter. Police also found stolen property in the vehicle. While the file remains under investigation, the driver was arrested and also issued a 24-hour driving prohibition.

READ ALSO: Business break and enters up 567 per cent during pandemic: Victoria police


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