RCMP have released five young men in Whitehorse after they were arrested on Feb. 6 in Shipyards Park.
According to a Feb. 7 press release, an on-duty police officer spotted someone holding a handgun in Shipyards Park on Feb. 6 just before 6 p.m. The person, who was in a group, cycled the action of the handgun.
The group of individuals were then arrested by Crime Reduction Unit RCMP, assisted by Whitehorse RCMP and Police Dog Services. The five men arrested were between the ages of 17 and 21. Police located and seized an air pistol that was, according to the press release, the exact replica of a Glock 9-mm pistol.
The release said all arrested were cooperative with police and have since been released, with no charges anticipated.
Sergeant Ian Fraser, supervisor of the Yukon Crime Reduction Unit, is quoted in the release as saying that the situation could have been different had the circumstances not evolved in the way that they did.
"Replica firearms look exactly like a real firearm and are illegal to possess, as they are prohibited devices in Canada," he said in the release. "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."
Contact Talar Stockton at talar.stockton@yukon-news.com
