VICTORIA -- Two men were arrested in Nanaimo after police received reports of one man brandishing a firearm near a mall Thursday afternoon.
At approximately 3:30 p.m., Mounties were called to an area near Port Place Mall for reports of a man holding a pistol.
Officers rushed to the call and two men were arrested at gunpoint by police.
Mounties say that one of the men arrested was quickly released from police custody after officers determined that they were not involved in the incident.
The other man, 45, was determined to be the person described in the call from witnesses. Police say that officers located what was believed to be a firearm in some nearby bushes during the arrest.
Police then discovered that the gun was a “non-operable pellet gun” and later released the man.
Mounties say that the man was released as there were no reports of the man threatening or pointing the gun at people.
“This was considered a high-risk situation for the attending officers and accordingly, their service pistols were drawn during the arrests,” said Const. Gary O'Brien of the Nanaimo RCMP.
“Thankfully, for all involved, the situation was resolved peacefully and in a timely manner.”
The pellet gun has since been seized and destroyed by police.
