One man has been charged after a loaded handgun and hundreds of rounds of ammunition were seized in Saanich.
Just before midnight on Tuesday (April 11), police received a report that a man had unlawfully gained entry to a residential complex in the 4000-block of Shelbourne Street.
An Integrated Canine Service (ICS) officer located a suspect nearby. Upon arrest, the suspect was found to be in possession of a bag of almost 500 rounds of nine-millimetre and .22-calibre ammunition.
A loaded .22 calibre revolver was also found on the ground in the area. Police said the revolver was determined to have been stolen from a break-and-enter in Port McNeil in 2021.
“The ICS officer and his partner, police service dog Hitch, demonstrated their ability to secure important evidence from this scene in a very quick manner,” Saanich spokesperson Const. Markus Anastasiades said in a statement.
“Without their assistance, this loaded firearm could have ended up in the wrong hands, with the potential for serious consequences.”
Raymond Beaton, 57, has been charged with possession of a restricted firearm while prohibited from possessing one, possession of a weapon obtained by the commission of an offence, possession of a restricted weapon and possession of a restricted weapon with ammunition.
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