A 17-year-old boy was arrested at gunpoint Friday when Nanaimo RCMP stopped a vehicle following a report of a firearm.
Nanaimo RCMP said they received a 911 call at around 1 p.m. that said someone was holding a firearm in a vehicle that was going south on Highway 19A. The caller said there were four people in the vehicle.
Police stopped the vehicle on McDonald Crescent, near Townsite Road. The four people in the vehicle were removed at gunpoint and taken into custody.
Officers then searched the vehicle and found a pellet gun that resembled a handgun on the passenger seat. Police said a pellet gun was seized for public safety and was not loaded.
The 17-year-old boy who was allegedly holding the pellet gun was arrested for possession of a replica firearm while in a motor vehicle and for several outstanding warrants for failing to appear in provincial court. Police said the same boy was also reported missing from the group home where he lives.
The three other people in the vehicle were released from custody and sent on their way.
“Our officers from time to time, are confronted with similar situations and respond accordingly based on the information they are presented with. There are many unknown factors and concerns when approaching a vehicle with a firearm. Thankfully this situation was resolved without incident,” Const. Gary O’Brien of the Nanaimo RCMP said in a release.
Alexa Huffman
