Man arrested, CO2-powered gun seized at Victoria nightclub: Police

Man arrested, CO2-powered gun seized at Victoria nightclub: Police
Photo: VicPD
Police say a Saanich man was arrested and a CO2-powered handgun was seized following a report of an armed patron at a Victoria nightclub.

A Saanich man was arrested and a CO2-powered handgun was seized following a report of an armed patron at a downtown Victoria nightclub, according to police.

On Sunday around 2 a.m., VicPD responded to a report of a man with a gun inside a club at Bastion Square. The venue’s security staff had called 911 and disarmed the suspect before holding him for officers, police say.

“Officers learned that the suspect had dropped what appeared to be a fully-functional handgun, picked it up and placed it in his waistband,” VicPD said in a release Monday.

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Once on scene, police determined the gun, which they say resembled a fully-functional firearm, was powered by CO2 and designed to fire paintballs, rubber balls or pepper balls.

The man was then transported to VicPD cells, and police say the incident remains under investigation.

According to VicPD, officers seize an average of one real and one replica firearm weekly. That means they face a 50/50 chance of a gun being real when attending a firearm report.

“Our officers regularly discover both realistic replicas and functional firearms alongside each other on the same call. This means they have to make split-second, life-or-death decisions on how they respond to a person in possession of a potentially deadly weapon,” said Chief Del Manak on Feb. 9.

“More than half the time, that gun is real and often, they are loaded.”

Anyone with information about Sunday’s incident is asked to call VicPD at 250-995-7654 ext. 1, and those who see someone with what looks like a gun are urged to call 911.

(Graphs courtesy: VicPD)

Ethan MorneauEthan Morneau

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