WHITEHORSE, YT – There were some tense moments in Whitehorse’s Shipyards Park on the evening of Thursday, February 6th, as members of the RCMP’s Crime Reduction Unit undertook what they call a ‘high-risk’ arrest of several people.
Shortly before 6pm, an on-duty Officer of the Crime Reduction Unit had spotted a group of people gathered around a car in the Shipyards Park parking lot. The Officer had witnessed one member of the group produce a handgun and cycle the action.
The RCMP were quick to respond, and in a joint effort which included members of the Crime Reduction Unit, the Police Dog Service and multiple officers from the Whitehorse detachment, 5 males ranging in age between 17 to 21 years-old had been arrested.
During the arrests, RCMP Officers had located and seized an Air Pistol which they say was an exact replica of a Glock 9mm Pistol.
The Whitehorse RCMP say all the individuals involved had cooperated with police, and were released. They add, no charges are expected to be laid.
Sergeant Ian Fraser, The Supervisor of the Yukon Crime Reduction Unit, notes that replica firearms are illegal to possess in Canada, as they can be easily mistaken for the real thing.
“This could have been a very different situation had the circumstances not evolved in the way that they did in this case. Replica firearms look exactly like a real firearm and are illegal to possess, as they are prohibited devices in Canada. Replica firearms along with airsoft guns can easily and dangerously be misidentified as a real firearm, which could put both the police and the public at risk.” – Sergeant Ian Fraser, Supervisor of the Yukon Crime Reduction Unit
