A melee between five men the night of Dec. 18 is prompting a reminder from Victoria police about the dangers of replica firearms.
The five-man fight in the 900-block of Pandora Avenue was called in to VicPD just before 9 p.m. and when officers arrived the individuals had all dispersed. Security guards told officers one appeared to be brandishing a handgun during the altercation.
Officers located a suspect nearby and because of the firearm report and his refusal to comply with police commands, he was detained at gunpoint, VicPD said in a news release.
Police subsequently located a Glock-branded pellet gun.
The man relinquished the replica.
“In situations where real or imitation firearms are involved, officers must make split-second, life or death decisions on how they respond. For officer safety, we treat all firearms as real until proven otherwise,” VicPD said in the release.
The department shared two images, without saying which was which, of a functioning firearm and the replica that was seized.
“Officers regularly encounter both real and replica firearms in the line of duty, which poses serious safety risks to the public, the individuals carrying them, and responding officers,” VicPD said.
So far in 2024, a total of 80 real and replica firearms were seized while responding to calls for service.
