On Monday, Nanaimo RCMP responded to two separate firearms-related calls within a few hours of each other.
The first was around 8 a.m. on Cavan St. Officers were called to respond to a fight, where one of the people involved had been seen with a suspected gun.
Officers arrested two people, and found an airsoft gun in a grocery bag.
The ownership of the gun wasn’t able to be determined, and it was not determined if the gun had been pointed at anyone or used in a threatening way.
A 19-year-old was arrested on an outstanding warrant and transported to cells, and a second man was taken in to police custody then released several hours later.
The second incident was around 10:30 a.m. in the same area.
Officers were told a handgun had been seen in a vehicle with multiple people inside.
When officers arrived, they removed the occupants from the vehicle, and determined that 29-year old Ron Arndt was in possession of a flare gun that had been modified to shoot 22 calibre bullets.
He was charged with Possession of a Weapon Dangerous to the Public Peace and other firearm related charges.
He was held in custody until his court appearance on July 26, at which point he was also held in custody until July 31.
“Both of these incidents were considered high risk as firearms were involved and required numerous officers to attend to and deal with safely,” said R/Const. Gary O’Brien of the Nanaimo RCMP.
Police say both guns will be destroyed.
CHEK News
