A 34-year-old man was arrested earlier this month after he allegedly broke into a barn in rural Nanaimo, pulled out a gun, fled the scene and crashed into an RCMP vehicle, say police.
According to a Nanaimo RCMP media release, Christopher Bergsma, 34, allegedly broke into a barn located on a rural property on Maughan Road located south of Nanaimo at around 1:30 p.m. on June 7.
When Bergsma was confronted by the property home, he allegedly pulled what appeared to be a large handgun and then fled the scene in an older model Jeep, say RCMP.
Not long afterwards, RCMP say one of their officers noticed Bergsma and attempted to initiate a traffic stop but failed. They say Bergsma sped away but was then spotted by another officer who noticed the 34-year-old “weaving and driving” towards his cruiser.
RCMP then say Bergsma crashed into the front grill of the officer’s vehicle causing the officer’s airbags to deploy.
The officer, while shaken, was not injured and Bergsma, with the help of another officer who arrived on the scene, was arrested for break-and-enter.
According to the media release, Bergsma sustained a significant cut to his forehead as a result of the crash and that on the passenger floor of his Jeep was a Remington 1875 BB gun resembling a 357 Magnum handgun, a crack pipe and some power tools — the latter having been stolen from the barn.
Bergsma, who is from Nanaimo, is also a prohibited driver with warrants for his arrest issued out of Sidney and Saanich, the release notes.
On June 8, Bergsma was charged with break-and-enter, possession of break-in tools, dangerous driving, failure to spot, and four counts of breach of court order. He has now been remanded until June 14 to await his next court appearance.
Nanaimo RCMP Const. Gary O’Brien, media spokesperson, said more and more replica weapons are being found on the streets these days.
“We are seeing these types of replica firearms more or and more often on the streets. Whether they are found in possession by criminals or with youth simply trying to impress their friends, it is not something we take lightly. What these individuals do not realize is that police officers will always treat them as real firearms until such time they are proven otherwise. With that in mind, these calls could end with tragic consequences,” said O’Brien.
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