A Saanich man with a replica handgun was arrested on Sunday night after bringing it to a nightclub.
At about 2 am, all available officers responded to a report of a man armed with a gun inside a nightclub in the 0-block of Bastion Square.
When officers arrived, security staff had already disarmed the suspect and were holding him for police.
Reportedly, the suspect had dropped what appeared to be a fully-functional handgun, picked it up and placed it in his waistband.
Security staff had spotted the gun, created an action plan, called 911 and immediately moved in, disarming him within two minutes of spotting the weapon.
Officers were on scene moments later and, upon further investigation, confirmed the nature of the weapon.
Police confirmed the weapon was a CO2 powered handgun designed to fire paintballs, rubber balls or pepper balls. However, as shown in the photo, the gun resembles a fully functional firearm.
The man was transported to VicPD cells.
According to the VicPD, officers seize an average of one real, functional firearm and one replica firearm each week. Based on real firearms and “replica firearms” seized in 2022, when encountering a report of a firearm, officers face a 50/50 chance that it is a real, functioning gun.
If you see someone with what looks to be a gun, call 911.
This incident remains under investigation. If you have information about this incident and have yet to speak with an officer, please call the VicPD Report Desk at (250) 995-7654 extension 1.
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