NORTH Vancouver RCMP arrested a man after receiving a report of a man wielding what appeared to be a plastic imitation gun near a public library.

On Saturday, April 6 just before 7 p.m., North Vancouver RCMP received reports of a man with a gun in Civic Plaza near North Vancouver City Library located at 126 West 14th Street. Officers flooded the area and searched for a suspect that matched the description provided by a witness. Officers quickly located the suspect near a bus stop on Lonsdale Avenue and took him into custody. Police seized the imitation gun.

During the course of the investigation, it was revealed that the man was on probation and had conditions not to possess any imitation firearms or weapons. He was held in police custody.

On Sunday, April 7, Benjamin McBeath, 47, was charged with failing to comply with a probation order and remanded by the courts.

“Frontline officers treated this extremely seriously, following all the protocols in place for responding to incidents involving firearms,” said Constable Mansoor Sahak of North Vancouver RCMP.

Police said they want to caution the public about the dangers of playing with imitation guns in a public place. Replica guns are indistinguishable from the real thing. While they may seem harmless, they can cause panic and will elicit a police response.