A suspect was arrested by West Shore RCMP after officers responded to a report of a shoplifter who dropped what appeared to be a pistol.
Police said the call came in on April 25 just before 11 p.m. at a Shoppers Drug Mart location on Jacklin Road in Langford. Police were told the suspect had taken several boxes of chocolate bars and when confronted by witnesses, hurried out of the store, dropping what appeared to be a handgun in the process.
Police said at no point did the man threaten or point the pistol at anyone, and left it on the floor of the store as he fled. Police later determined the pistol was in fact a water gun which had been painted black to look more realistic.
Officers tracked a suspect to a BC Transit bus, and were able to safely stop the bus and arrest him without incident.
“Carrying a weapon or anything that looks like a weapon, in a manner that could be dangerous to the public is against the law,” said Cpl. Nancy Saggar, West Shore RCMP spokesperson, in a news release. “In this case, a water pistol painted to look real and tucked into the suspect’s waistband is alarming and calls public safety into question. We are recommending the appropriate charges of theft and possession of a weapon for dangerous purpose against the suspect.”
An 18-year-old Saanich resident was released from custody on an undertaking with conditions not to attend the Shoppers Drug Mart location or be in possession of any weapon.
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