Man arrested at West Vancouver mall over replica gun ‘indistinguishable from a real firearm’

West Vancouver police briefly arrested a 21-year-old man at the Park Royal Mall Monday after he was found in possession of a replica firearm.

Police said they were called to the mall around 5:30 p.m. to reports of a man taking a handgun out of his jacket.

Officers found the man inside the mall and took him into custody at gunpoint.

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Police quickly discovered the man was in possession of a replica weapon and released him at the scene.

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“In this case the replica in question was almost indistinguishable from a real firearm,” police said in a media release.

It’s the latest case of police being called due to a realistic-looking weapon.

Police are reminding the public that they take all firearm related calls seriously and that officers will treat every firearm as real until they can prove it is not.