A report of a man with a firearm in Nanaimo on Thursday brought out a heavy police presence and led to an arrest. The firearm turned out to be an inoperable pellet gun.
Nanaimo RCMP were called to the Port Place Shopping Centre about 3:30 p.m. and arrested two men at gunpoint, based on descriptions from witnesses.
Police determined one of the men was not involved and he was released. A 45-year-old man remained in custody. A search of bushes turned up the firearm.
Since the firearm was a pellet gun that didn’t work and there were no reports of it being pointed at anyone, the man was not charged and was released.
