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4 teens charged in airsoft pistol confrontation at Lethbridge mall
🇨🇦 Canada /Energy & Infrastructure

4 teens charged in airsoft pistol confrontation at Lethbridge mall

From Global News · () English

Summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • Police charged four boys aged 13 to 15 after an airsoft pistol caused panic at Park Place Mall in Lethbridge, Alberta.
  • Officers determined the weapon was not a real firearm, but said its realistic appearance required an armed-response approach.
  • Police also seized a knife and baton, and believe someone may have been struck by a BB pellet, although no injuries were found at the scene.

A routine evening at Park Place Mall in Lethbridge turned into a panic-filled evacuation after a teenager displayed what appeared to be a handgun.

Police received multiple 911 calls shortly after 5:30 p.m. last Friday. Witnesses reportedly took cover under tables, hid behind structures, shielded children and fled the mall. Officers arrived in just over 90 seconds and arrested four boys aged between 13 and 15 by the end of the evening.

We train these things. This is what we get paid to do. When these events unfold, the responsibility on our shoulders is to respond quickly, effectively and in a dynamic fashion.

— Sgt. Ryan DarrochDescribing the police response to reports of a gun at the mall.

Police said the incident began when two pairs of teenagers moved through the mall before one pair pursued the other. After a brief foot chase, one boy from the second pair produced the weapon. Witnesses heard it clicking. Officers later determined that the gun was an airsoft pistol, although it closely resembled a real firearm even at short range.

Any time we deal with an offender with replica or presented-real firearms, the charges that go along with that are real.

— Sgt. Ryan DarrochWarning that replica weapons still trigger serious police responses and charges.

Sgt. Ryan Darroch of the Lethbridge Police Service said officers must treat replica firearms as real during such incidents. “Any time we deal with an offender with replica or presented-real firearms, the charges that go along with that are real,” he said. A knife and baton were also seized from another boy.

Police believe one person may have been hit by a BB pellet, but they did not find anyone injured at the time. Darroch warned that replica weapons can force officers into split-second decisions and said Lethbridge police would help residents dispose of them. “There is no positive outcome coming from a youth or young person being out in society with a replica handgun, or bear spray, knives or any of these weapons.”

There is no positive outcome coming from a youth or young person being out in society with a replica handgun, or bear spray, knives or any of these weapons.

— Sgt. Ryan DarrochUrging people to remove replica guns and other weapons from public spaces.
About this summary

Originally published by Global News. Summarized and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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