The North Vancouver RCMP says officers arrested a man last week after he was allegedly holding a plastic replica gun near the city’s library.
Mounties say on Saturday, they received reports that a man was “manipulating” a gun in the city’s Civic Plaza on West 14th Street just before 7 p.m.
“Officers flooded the area and were in search of a suspect with the description that was provided by a witness. Officers quickly located a man matching the description near a bus stop on Lonsdale Avenue and took him into custody. The imitation gun was seized,” the RCMP said in a statement Monday.
Police say the suspect was found to be on probation for a previous offence, and had conditions to not possess any imitation firearms or weapons.
On Sunday, Benjamin McBeath, 47, was charged with failing to comply with his probation order. He remains in custody.
“Frontline officers treated this extremely seriously, following all the protocols in place for responding to incidents involving firearms,” said Const. Mansoor Sahak.
Police are now cautioning the greater public about the dangers of, and the harms caused by, playing with imitation guns.
“Replica guns are indistinguishable from the real thing. While they may seem harmless, they can cause panic and will elicit a police response,” Mounties explained.