An Esquimalt man was sentenced Tuesday (March 22) to 90 days in jail, one day after brandishing a replica handgun near West Shore Town Centre in Langford.
According to West Shore RCMP, John Crawford, 32, was discovered after his arrest Monday to be on probation with conditions not to posses a weapon, including BB guns, following a November conviction for assault with a weapon, theft and possession of stolen property, for which included a 60-day jail sentence.
Crawford was convicted “once again” for possession of a weapon for dangerous purpose, police said.
“It is unknown as to why the suspect brought the BB gun with them to a mall and what their intentions were,” stated West Shore RCMP Const. Meghan Groulx in a release.
Police received a report from a witness just after 5 p.m. on March 21 that a man had showed them a handgun near the mall. Multiple officers responded to the scene and within minutes located and arrested a man in the mall who matched the description given by the caller.
The mall was locked down while officers, including from Police Dog Services, searched for the handgun. A Glock 19 replica BB handgun was located near where the suspect was arrested.
“The Glock was all black and did not display an orange tip. It could have easily been mistaken for its real counterpart,” said Const. Zane Shelby.
Groulx told Black Press Media it was unusual for the conviction and sentencing to happen so quickly after the incident, but could not provide details as to why.
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