Two people were arrested at Thetis Lake Thursday morning after West Shore RCMP received reports of a woman walking into the park with a replica handgun.
On August 8, at approximately 7:35 a.m., police were called to the park for reports of a woman holding a handgun in the 2000-block of Gourman Place.
Officers were told she was with a man and were seen walking into the park.
RCMP then responded with a “heavy police presence” and began to search the park’s trail network.
See also: 36-year-old man arrested after pulling handgun on West Shore RCMP officers
Officers were positioned at the trail exits to ensure the suspects could not leave, and hikers already in the park were redirected to leave the area safely.
“Thetis Lake Regional Park is a huge area with lots of foot traffic and multiple off shooting trails,” said Cst. Nancy Saggar, West Shore RCMP.
“Our officers had a starting point of where the suspects were last seen but we needed to make sure the exits were covered. This required the coordination of numerous police officers at multiple places in and out of the park.”
The suspects were located at about 8 a.m. and were taken into custody without incident.
During the arrest, officers located the replica handgun from the man’s waistband, and determined that it was not a real firearm.
“This is not the first time West Shore RCMP officers have been called to a scene with a report of a gun that was later determined to be a replica,” said the detachment in a statement.
See also:
- Nanaimo mall locked down Monday after youth spotted brandishing replica gun
- Woman arrested in downtown Victoria with replica handgun
“These situations present a real risk to both public and police safety. If you are handling a firearm, real or otherwise, in a manner that presents a threat to public safety, the police will respond accordingly and you may find yourself arrested and the subject of a criminal investigation.”
Police say the investigation into the two Thetis Lake suspects is ongoing.
