Image Credit: FILE PHOTO
November 17, 2020 - 11:06 AM
Penticton RCMP took a man into custody last week after he was seen with what looked like a handgun in the Penticton Superstore parking lot. It turned out to be a pellet gun.
Officers responded to reports of a man handling a handgun while in the passenger seat of a vehicle at the Superstore parking lot at around 12:35 p.m., Nov. 12, according to an RCMP media releases. Witnesses told police it appeared the man was loading bullets into the magazine.
Police spoke to the man, who initially complied with officers, but once out of the vehicle the man refused to cooperate and ignored police commands, turning away from officers and reaching into his pockets.
Police used a taser on the suspect and took him into custody. A search of the vehicle revealed a pellet gun which could have easily been mistaken for a firearm.
"Pellet guns or replica firearms have become almost identical in appearance to the real thing. It is very difficult for the public or an officer to tell the difference,” Penticton RCMP Sgt. Jason Bayda said in the release. “This is why it is so important to remain cognizant of where you are handling them. Handling them in view of public in a busy area is going to garner a quick police response that often requires police to have to make split second decisions."
Police were later able to determine the pellet gun had been purchased to manage a rodent problem at the man’s residence.
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