A 17-year-old who pointed a toy gun at his brother as the two were travelling in separate vehicles on Highway 1 in Burnaby Sunday faced police officers with real guns drawn at the end of the ride.
Police got a call at about 1:30 p.m. Sunday from a witness travelling eastbound on the highway who said they had seen a person point a gun at another vehicle near the Kensington exit, according to Burnaby RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Mike Kalanj.
The witness provided police with a description of the vehicle and a licence plate number, Kalanj said.
Surrey RCMP and Abbotsford Police caught up with it at the Sumas Way exit in Abbotsford, where officers with guns drawn directed the occupants to put their hands up and exit the vehicle, according to Kalanj.
"As they get out of the car, the toy gun drops out of the passenger side," he said.
The 17-year-old passenger explained his brother had been in the other vehicle near the Kensington exit and they had just been "messing around," according to Kalanj.
The brother, 20, soon attended the scene and confirmed what his brother had said.
"This could have ended very badly," said Kalanj, who added officers had a "real harsh conversation" with the brothers.
"The reason it was so serious is because there was a gun. We treat every gun as real until we prove it's not real."
SFU handgun call
Later the same day, another teen with a fake gun triggered a police response to SFU on Burnaby Mountain.
Burnaby RCMP got a call just before 8 p.m. from a student who said they had seen a man on campus "flipping" a gun, according to Kalanj.
He said multiple police vehicles rushed to the top of the mountain, where SFU security helped officers locate the suspect just before 9 p.m.
Police arrested the man, a 19-year-old SFU student, and located a "very realistic" airsoft gun, according to Kalanj.
"It was the same conversation twice in one day," Kalanj said.
Neither incident led to charges.
Follow Cornelia Naylor on Twitter @CorNaylor
Email [email protected]
