West Shore RCMP say officers responded to West Shore Town Centre on March 21 for reports of a man displaying a handgun.
Shortly after 5 p.m., officers responded to the mall and arrested 32 year-old John Crawford of Esquimalt inside the shopping centre.
The mall was locked down while officers searched for the firearm, which turned out to be a replica Glock 19 BB gun, pictured below.
The Glock was all black and did not display an orange tip, it could have easily been mistaken for its real counter part,
says Cst. Zane Shelby with the West Shore RCMP in a news release.
After arresting Crawford, officers learned he was on probation with conditions to not possess any weapon including a BB gun or pellets.
Crawford was sentenced in November 2021 for assault with a weapon, theft and possession of property obtained by crime.
Following the incident at West Shore Town Centre, he was again sentenced on March 22 for possession of a weapon for dangerous purpose and he was sentenced to 90 days in jail.
Laura Brougham
