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
From outer space? Sask. farmers baffled after discovering strange wreckage in field
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
NEW Iconic Canadian song turns 50
Andy Kim's 'Rock Me Gently' is marking a major milestone, as it celebrates its 50th anniversary.
Oprah Winfrey: I set an unrealistic standard for dieting
Oprah Winfrey said on Thursday evening that she has long played a role in promoting unhealthy and unrealistic diets.
Prince Harry, Meghan arrive in Nigeria to champion the Invictus Games and meet with wounded soldiers
Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, arrived in Nigeria on Friday to champion the Invictus Games, which he founded to aid the rehabilitation of wounded and sick servicemembers and veterans, among them Nigerian soldiers fighting a 14-year war against Islamic extremists.
Countries struggle to draft 'pandemic treaty' to avoid mistakes made during COVID
After the coronavirus pandemic triggered once-unthinkable lockdowns, upended economies and killed millions, leaders at the World Health Organization and worldwide vowed to do better in the future. Years later, countries are still struggling to come up with an agreed-upon plan for how the world might respond to the next global outbreak.
Toronto police called to Drake's Bridle Path mansion for another alleged intruder on Thursday
Toronto police say a man who allegedly attempted to access Drake’s Bridle Path property was taken to hospital on Thursday after an altercation with security guards.
Ontario family receives massive hospital bill as part of LTC law, refuses to pay
A southwestern Ontario woman has received an $8,400 bill from a hospital in Windsor, Ont., after she refused to put her mother in a nursing home she hated -- and she says she has no intention of paying it.
Flat tire on a highway? Here's why you shouldn't try to fix it
If you're cruising down a highway and realize you have a flat tire, you may want to think twice before stopping to fix it on the side of the road.
Storm-battered U.S. South is again under threat. A boy swept into a drain fights for his life
Dangerous storms crashed over parts of the U.S. South on Thursday even as the region cleaned up from earlier severe weather that spawned tornadoes, killed at least three people, and gravely injured a boy who was swept into a storm drain as he played in a flooded street.