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RCMP urge Halloween costume caution following Nanaimo incident

Even on Halloween, police will respond in force to complaints about people carrying firearms
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Police in Nanaimo responded in force after people called them about a man in camouflage carrying a gun. The suspect turned out to be a man in a Halloween costume and police are cautioning the public about wearing costumes involving fake weapons. CHRIS BUSH/The News Bulletin

Police in Nanaimo are urging the public to use common sense regarding Halloween costumes that include weapons, especially firearms, to avoid a potential police response.

The warning came following an incident Monday when police reacted to calls about a man wearing camouflage with his face covered and carrying a weapon just before 4 p.m.

“We got a report of a male walking along Prideaux Street, dressed in camo gear, face mask and carrying a rifle with a scope and then he was seen walking into an apartment building in the 600 block of Comox Road,” said Const. Gary O’Brien, Nanaimo RCMP spokesman.

Police blocked off sections of Comox Road and Prideaux Street to vehicle and foot traffic and called in the RCMP Vancouver Island Emergency Response Team.

The area was contained until about 6 p.m. when the suspect walked out of the building.

“Just as they’re about to enter the unit, the suspect walked out,” O’Brien said. “He had changed his clothing and he didn’t quite understand what all the fuss was. There may have been some mental health issues at play. He was warned and given the totality of the circumstances.”

The man, whom O’Brien said police had had dealings with before, was given a verbal warning and was not charged.

“But understandably, at this time of year, people have to be cognizant when they are in public and they are dressed in camouflage gear and even a toy gun, because from a distance, people can’t ascertain what it really is and people will call us,” O’Brien said. “As it showed, for about three hours we had 10 to 15 officers tied up on this one particular call and it wasn’t necessary, if he’d only used some common sense.”

RELATED: Man in Halloween costume draws huge police response in Nanaimo

Cases of mistaken identity of people and costume accessories do happen around Halloween. A list of Halloween costume safety tips published by the RCMP advises wearers to make sure fake swords, knives and guns look fake, but to remember some people might still be unable to tell the difference.

O’Brien recalled an incident from 1997 when he and another officer confronted a man with a firearm in Nanaimo’s Bowen Park. It was only after they had the man on the ground they discovered the weapon was fake.

“We only determined then it was a replica firearm,” he said. “We did a high-risk takedown with him.”



photos@nanaimobulletin.com
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Chris Bush

About the Author: Chris Bush

As a photographer/reporter with the Nanaimo News Bulletin since 1998.
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