Police seize shotgun, ammunition and 'pipe bomb' from Nanaimo man during traffic stop
A Nanaimo man is facing numerous charges after police allegedly found him in possession of multiple firearms and a pipe bomb during a traffic stop in July.
Nanaimo RCMP said in a news release Friday that 29-year-old Declan O'Reilly is facing seven firearms-related charges after the July 25 incident, though online court records show 10 charges against him, including nine that appear to be firearms related.
Mounties said an officer saw O'Reilly behind the wheel of a white Lexus on Townsite Road in Nanaimo at 8:40 p.m. on the day of the incident.
"The officer recognized the Lexus and the occupants, and knew that the individual driving the Lexus was prohibited from operating a motor vehicle," police said in their release.
The officer pulled the vehicle over and saw that the driver and a female passenger had switched seats, police said.
The woman was arrested for an existing court order prohibiting her from being with the driver, according to police. She was later released.
Police said the officer saw drug paraphernalia "in plain view" in the vehicle, and began a search, during which he found a bulletproof vest; a loaded, sawed-off, 12-gauge Mossberg shotgun; shotgun shells; two loaded rifle magazines; and "what appeared to be a pipe bomb."
The RCMP's Explosives Disposal Unit investigated and determined that the item was, in fact, an improvised explosive device, police said.
The unit detonated the bomb in a safe location, according to RCMP.
O'Reilly was released on an undertaking to appear in court.
Online court records show numerous charges against O'Reilly stemming from other incidents, the earliest of which occurred in April 2017.
The latest charges against O'Reilly have not been proven in court. He is scheduled to make his next appearance in Nanaimo provincial court on Sept. 28.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
Stormy Daniels took the witness stand Tuesday at Donald Trump's hush money trial, describing for jurors a sexual encounter the porn actor says she had with him in 2006 that resulted in her being paid off to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
Indian envoy warns of 'big red line,' days after charges laid in Nijjar case
India's envoy to Canada insists relations between the two countries are positive overall, despite what he describes as 'a lot of noise.'
Susan Buckner, who played spirited cheerleader Patty Simcox in 'Grease,' dead at 72
Susan Buckner, best known for playing peppy Rydell High School cheerleader Patty Simcox in the 1978 classic movie musical 'Grease,' has died. She was 72.
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Jeremy Skibicki has 'uphill battle' to prove he's not criminally responsible in Winnipeg killings: legal analysts
Accused killer Jeremy Skibicki could have a challenging time convincing a judge that he is not criminally responsible for the deaths of four Indigenous women, a legal analyst says.
Alcohol believed to be a factor in boating incident after 2 men die: N.S. RCMP
Two Nova Scotia men are dead after a boat they were travelling in sank in the Annapolis River in Granville Centre, N.S., on Monday.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
CFL suspends Argos QB Chad Kelly at least nine games following investigation
The CFL suspended Toronto Argonauts quarterback Chad Kelly for at least nine regular-season games Tuesday following its investigation into a lawsuit filed by a former strength-and-conditioning coach against both the player and club.
Air France flight from Paris to Seattle lands in Iqaluit after heat smell in cabin
A plane travelling from Paris to Seattle was forced to make an emergency landing in Iqaluit after there was a heat smell in the cabin during the flight.