A man carrying a high capacity rifle was arrested by Battlefords RCMP early Thursday morning. (File photo/battlefordsNOW Staff)

By battlefordsNOW Staff

Charges pending

Armed, impaired man arrested in North Battleford

Mar 24, 2021 | 5:45 PM

Battlefords RCMP arrested a man armed with an assault style firearm early this morning.

Police were called to a business on the 11000 block of Railway Avenue in North Battleford for a complaint of an impaired driver. The owner spoke with an RCMP member and said that a intoxicated male had damaged some of the business owner’s property and drove off in a truck. After this information was passed on and members were on patrol, the vehicle was located a short time later and pulled over on the 1700 block of 100 street.

The RCMP officer approached the vehicle, spoke with the driver, noticing that he had a firearm sitting between his legs. The officer was then able to arrest the lone male driver without incident.

Further investigation revealed that the driver had a fully loaded assault style rifle with a high capacity magazine. Staff Sgt. Jason Teniuk said it has some similarities to the weapon they procured earlier this week in a separate incident.

“Different style, but same sort of purpose, designed to put a lot of rounds downrange in a short amount of time,” he said.

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Teniuk said it’s unusual seeing two high powered, high capacity weapons come across RCMP members in the span of a few days, adding that it’s concerning for both members and the public.

“This guy had it sitting between his legs and not safely transported,” he said. “Could the trigger have caught on something? There’s a whole host of safety issues that come with that.”

“I’m hoping this isn’t a trend we’re seeing, and is just a couple coincidences that happen to fall in line this way.”

Teniuk added that he’s pleased with the work of the detachment and its members in dealing with these incidents over the past week.

Charges are pending against a 28-year-old male. Having viewed the damage to the business, seized the suspects’ vehicle and taken him into custody, Teniuk said part of the work is over, but they still have several investigational steps to take.

“We have to determine charges, get statements,” he said. “This [man] will be facing a host of firearms charges.”

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cjnbnews@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @battlefordsNOW