Police say one man was arrested and an airsoft pistol was seized after several apartments were evacuated on Rosehill Street in Nanaimo Sunday.
At approximately 1:30 p.m. on Jan. 5, Nanaimo RCMP responded to an apartment building in the 600-block of Rosehill Street after receiving a report of a man who was in a possession of a gun and threatening individuals in one of the units.
Due to the possibility of firearms being present and the potential for hostages, the Vancouver Island RCMP Emergency Response Team (ERT) also went to the incident. Police said several nearby apartment units were evacuated as a precaution.
Police after ERT arrived, two men walked out of the apartment. While the door to the unit was open, ERT was able to talk to the 29-year-old male suspect. He was taken into custody without incident.
Two children, ages seven and three, were found unharmed in the apartment and were turned over to a different adult. A black airsoft pistol was also located in the apartment and seized.
Police said investigators will be following up with the Ministry of Children and Family Development(MCFD) concerning the children found in the apartment.
The suspect was taken to the Nanaimo RCMP detachment where he was later released on a Promise to Appear, on charges of uttering threats and pointing a firearm. His first court date is set for Feb. 5 in Nanaimo.
Nanaimo RCMP said before ERT arrived at the apartment, other officers were already on scene and were in positions where they could safely contain the suspect. As this was happening, pictures of various officers were taken and posted on social media sites.
“This is extremely dangerous as it not only exposes the locations of our officers but this information can easily be obtained by the suspect. Please respect the fact that these situations are volatile and highly unpredictable. By posting pictures, you are simply adding another layer of risk to an already dangerous incident”, Const. Gary O’Brien of the Nanaimo RCMP said in a statement.
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