A lighter which looked very similar to a handgun resulted in police rushing to a Vancouver SkyTrain station this weekend.
Police were called around 10 a.m., Sunday Aug. 28, when a man was spotted getting off at the Joyce SkyTrain station with what looked like a handgun. A SkyTrain attendant spotted the man get off the train with the item and called Metro Vancouver Transit Police (MVTP) and the Vancouver Police Department out of concern, according to an email from the MVTP.
Police arrived and were able to locate the man not far from the station, where he was arrested and searched.
"The item recovered from the suspect was determined to be a lighter shaped like a handgun. At a quick glance, it could very easily be mistaken for a real gun," says Cst. Amanda Steed in an email to Vancouver Is Awesome.
However, the search did result in the man's arrest as other items were found, according to police.
"The suspect was also found to be in possession of a knife and bear spray, which was in breach of his court-ordered conditions not have any of those items," notes Steed.
He is being charged for the breach of court-ordered conditions.