An anonymous tip about a man allegedly packing heat in West Vancouver resulted in a police chase and an arrest at gunpoint Monday evening.
The drama started when an anonymous caller phoned 911 around 6:15 p.m. to report overhearing an “alarming conversation” between two men in Ambleside, in which one of the men “was heard referencing a handgun in his waistband,” said Const. Kevin Goodmurphy, spokesman for the West Vancouver police.
In response, police officers flooded into the area, where one officer spotted a man matching the description eating in a restaurant close to 14th Street and Marine Drive. When the man saw he was being eyed by police, he bolted and “took off running” down Argyle and west along the railroad tracks, said Goodmurphy.
Officers chased him and intercepted him near Argyle and 15th with guns drawn.
“Anytime we get information about a firearm on a person, we take it extremely seriously,” said Goodmurphy.
Police databases revealed the man was wanted on a Canada-wide warrant, for which he was promptly arrested.
A search of the man did not turn up any gun, however. A subsequent search of the area with a police dog also turned up empty, said Goodmurphy.
The man was held in police cells overnight and was expected to appear in court on Tuesday on the outstanding warrant.
